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The government-funded traineeships provide monthly allowances of 1,800 to 2,400 Singapore dollars. Applications dropped 90 percent from the October 2025 launch through February as some graduates found other work.
680news.comSingapore’s Ministry of Manpower launched the Graduate Industry Traineeships program in October 2025 to give unemployed college graduates temporary positions at government agencies and private firms. Trainees receive a monthly allowance of 1,800 to 2,400 Singapore dollars, with the government covering about 70 percent of the cost and employers paying the rest.
The lowest allowance is less than half the median graduate starting salary and roughly two-thirds the wage of a McDonald’s management trainee who holds only a pre-university diploma.
The government caps the stipend at half the median first salary to keep participants focused on securing permanent roles. Lee Jia En, a 25-year-old graduate from the Singapore University of Social Sciences who earned second-class honors and completed four internships, joined the program and was assigned printing and laminating tasks.
She later received a permanent position with real responsibilities at the same government employer.
Phang Jun, a 24-year-old communications major who graduated in 2025 from Singapore Management University, applied to 100 jobs and received three low-paid offers outside her field. She described her degree as useless and is now networking with colleagues while remaining open to any role.
Ng Hui, a 26-year-old information systems graduate from Singapore Management University carrying S$50,000 in loans, receives the top stipend of S$2,400 as a data engineer trainee and supplements income by tutoring.
Full-time employment rates for business, arts and science graduates from Singapore’s six universities fell about 10 percentage points from 2023 to 2025, according to the annual graduate employment survey published in March 2026. Retrenchments reached the highest level in nearly three years in the first quarter of 2026 while the unemployment rate stayed at 2 percent.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said in May that heightened uncertainty has made businesses cautious about hiring.
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd offered 50 GRIT placements and hired 40 trainees in data and credit analysis. Applications to the program fell about 90 percent between its launch and February, with more than half of 800 roles filled by March. Tan attributed the decline to applicants turning down placements for other opportunities.
Associate professor Kelvin Seah at the National University of Singapore said stigma tied to the program and its pay level may also deter job seekers.
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en.globes.co.ilLebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered framework agreement on June 26 that outlines steps for Israeli forces to leave southern Lebanon in stages. The deal gives the Lebanese army control of pilot zones where it must disarm Hezbollah before reconstruction begins.
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ndtv.comSouth Korea deployed fighter jets after nearly 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone on June 27 before departing after a brief stay. The planes flew over the East Sea and South Sea but remained outside sovereign airspace. South Korea…