is it just about expectations?

all want to work for MNC, public service?

how about smaller SMEs, contract job? put down your pride a bit and get employed

Its serious and I graduated from NTU EEE with honors. Never trust the govt media and news. i.e. Singapore in need of engineers and ICT, Singaporean Core etc... when you start applying for jobs especially sending resume to 100+ public and private companies and organizations, you will know what I mean.

If you have foreign friends from your course of study, you will also notice that they gets job easily than you can imagine especially with their low wages (below 3k) expectation as a degree holder and no NS liability. I have foreign friends with a master degree asking for 3.2k and PhD asking for 4k. What's more ridiculous is that they told me that they are being offered Singapore citizenship from our govt with the kind of academic qualification they had.

Lol I have Honours degree from local u Bt can't find a job . Sent hundreds of resumes too

I urge you to try the weekly Meet the MP session near your house. See how capable and effective our govt is especially if you have voted for them. lol

Yes the market now is really bad. I actually wanted to join Life Sciences last time cos of passion, but passion cannot eat.

Well, I beg to differ... I think the market is not bad. It is how the govt handle the situation.

Firstly, do you think a private company will want to hire a local fresh grad with NS liability? Imagine your employee have to go on reservist at the peak of a million dollar project while he is the key person of the team.

Secondly, if you are the boss of a company and have a choice between
(1) local fresh grad B.Degree. have to pay the market rate of 3.2k pm; with NS,
(2) FT fresh grad assuming he became a new citizen upon showing his outstanding academic cert he got while you where serving your NS; he has no NS liability, with a M.Degree or PHD applying for the same job same pay. Who will you hire?

Thirdly, just to add on the 2nd point. with a reputable master/PHD qualification a FT got while you where serving the nation, he can easily get a pink IC and then later bring his whole family over to Singapore.

The Singaporean Core which our govt mentioned on various media is actually referring to these new citizen. not the local born citizen. They can then easily apply to govt sector and get a job more easily than the local born.

Hence the reason why its so hard for a local graduate especially with a B.Degree to secure a job here, given how easily Pink IC are given away to FT; with the govt's hungry idea to transform Singapore into a smart nation not depending on the real/local born Singaporean core and at the same time increase Singapore population to meet their target and political agenda.

Something I have observed for very long..

Quit whining and complaining about others stealing things. It just goes to show you are not good enough.

For the good jobs and management trainee programs out there, it is the performance in the Ac and interview that matters more than your nationality... Just some thoughts from a fresh grad..

yeah you are right. B.Degree are just not good enough compared to Master and PhD.

and I think he is referring to academic qualification obtainable for FT during the duration of one NS/youth, and not the nationality. And at the same time government offering citizenship to reputable master and PhD holders.

He is referring to citizenship, not the usual S pass, work permit given to FT where the government always say that they are cutting down on the amount issued so that Singaporean can feel better and FT are actually doing things we don't want to do. but in fact it is the Citizenship given to another group of them that is hurting the local born.

You can say "why don't you do a Master or PhD?, so you can be as good as them". Well there are many factor to consider after your B.degree like age and etc for a local born. He also mentioned that if a B.degree and a PhD applying for the same job and same pay and both with PinkIC, the chance for B.degree is just not good enough. Not to mention he has to go off every now and then for reservist while the new citizen don't.

local grad (singaporean) chiming in here.

Graduating this June/July (engineering major), EVERY SINGLE one of my friends >10 (all singaporeans) from the same faculty have already secured a job, many even got their job placing last sem.

Even one of my friend who retained for a semester with **** GPA also found a job before graduation. I obviously can't comment for other courses/majors, but maybe you guys aren't trying hard enough?

I am sure that for you and your friends case, nepotism is involved. because many of my Singaporean friends >10 in engineering can't even get an interview for a job through submitting their resume. Probably got rejected due to whatever reason. Nepotism is very common in Singapore... if you understand what I mean. haha