NUS graduate claims struggle to find employment while ex-NCS Indian employee lands job in 4 months

SINGAPORE:  A recent graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has expressed frustration with the current job market, claiming that they have yet to receive an offer despite having applied to over one hundred positions.

The self-professed Computer Science graduate’s confession was shared on NUSWhispers on 9 June, who mentioned applying primarily for software engineering (SWE) and data science (DS) roles.

The individual shared that although they have participated in several interviews, they have not been successful.

The graduate confessed that they are now contemplating applying for roles in fields like testing, game development, and embedded systems, which typically offer lower salaries.

The graduate also expressed concern about the long-term prospects of these roles and their potential impact on their career trajectory.

Additionally, they sought advice on exploring non-tech fields like finance and healthcare.

Responding to the graduate’s concern, Dr Ben Leong, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at NUS, advised the student to consider accepting a lower-paying job for the time being, emphasizing that having any job is preferable to unemployment.

He also underscored that success depends largely on the individual’s efforts, although luck also plays a role.

In an interview last November, Dr Leong told Business Insider, in response to the slump in tech hiring, that there wasn’t so much a job shortage as an increase in the number of students in Singapore who were qualified for computing jobs.

Leong emphasized that students today need to have realistic expectations about what tech employers are looking for.

“The reality is that it’s a challenging field, and earning a degree doesn’t guarantee employment,” Leong said, comparing the skill level required to that of lawyers and doctors.

“Just as law and medicine require professional skills, so does computer science. Unfortunately, some individuals who major in computer science may not be able to perform the job and will likely need to seek other employment. That’s the reality,” Leong continued.

According to the Graduate Employment Survey 2023, 91.9% of graduates from the NUS Computer Science department secured full-time employment, while 92.4% were employed. The pay ranged from S$5,500 in the 25th percentile to S$7,700 in the 75th percentile.

In the same Facebook post, one netizen shared his own experience of starting in tech support after graduating with a CS degree 30 years ago. He advised the graduate to be patient, acknowledging that careers typically span several decades.

Another netizen encouraged the graduate to do what they need to survive, attributed some of the challenges to government policies regarding foreign workers, urging the graduate to make informed choices and participate in shaping future policies.

Former Indian employee secures new job in Singapore just four months after being dismissed by NCS

While the Singaporean graduate lamented over submitting more than a hundred job applications for software engineering and data science roles without securing a job, an Indian national, a former employee at a local infotech firm, was able to swiftly secure employment within a short time after being fired in November 2022.

The 39-year-old Indian national, Kandula Nagaraju, was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail in Singapore recently for unauthorized access to computer material.

Nagaraju, a former employee of NCS, a Singapore-based information communication and technology services company and a subsidiary of Singtel Group, was part of a 20-member team managing the quality assurance (QA) computer system at NCS between November 2021 and October 2022.

His contract was terminated in October 2022 due to poor performance, with his last official working day being 16 November 2022.

However, he managed to secure another job around February 2023, just four months after his termination from NCS.

As reported earlier, Nagaraju was accused of unauthorized access to his ex-employer’s computer systems and deleting virtual servers, resulting in a loss of approximately S$918,000 (US$678,000).

Feeling aggrieved by his dismissal, Nagaraju, after returning to India, accessed the system without authorization on six occasions between 6 and 17 January 2023.

Upon securing a new job in February 2023, he returned to Singapore and rented a room with a former NCS colleague.

Using his colleague’s Wi-Fi network, he accessed NCS’s system again on 23 February 2023 and eventually executed a computer script designed to delete the virtual servers one by one.

NCS’s team soon discovered the system was inaccessible and realized the servers had been deleted.

A police report was launched, and police seized Nagaraju’s laptop, finding the script used for the deletions, which he had developed after searching Google for similar scripts.

Manpower Minister: 20% of larger firms have 30%+ foreign PMET in workforce for over a decade

During a May Parliamentary session,  Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng revealed that over the past decade, the proportion of larger firms maintaining a workforce composed of 30% or more foreign professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMETs) has remained steady at 20%.

Conversely, small firms, on average, have seen around 20% of their workforce constituted by foreign PMETs over the same period.

Dr Tan added that in 2023, the percentage was even higher for small firms with fewer than 25 PMETs, reaching 28%.

Separately, earlier in April, when pressed by opposition members for specific figures regarding the employment of Singaporean citizens in 2023, Dr Tan did not answer directly.

Instead, Dr Tan emphasized a broader perspective on workforce development, responding to Gerald Giam of the Workers’ Party with a vision that moves beyond a simplistic local-versus-foreign employment scenario.

“Singapore must not view residents and foreigners as a ‘zero-sum game’ and continue to draw divides,” Dr Tan articulated, underlining the necessity of foreign talent for enhancing job opportunities and wages for locals.

The job statistics report released by the Ministry of Manpower in March showed that 94.5% of 2023’s employment growth, comprising 88,400 positions in Singapore (excluding migrant domestic workers), came from non-resident workers.

The remaining 4,900 residents’ employment growth accounts for Singaporean citizens and non-Singaporean permanent residents.

Addressing Mr Giam’s apprehensions, Dr Tan countered, “seems to be under the misconception that a net increase in foreign employment means that jobs are not going to Singaporeans,” labelling this view as “fundamentally misguided”.

He elaborated, “Thriving businesses with access to complementary foreign talent will not only lead to more job creation but also improve overall wage outcomes as businesses expand and improve their productivity.”

In his response to Mr Giam’s questions, Dr Tan also revealed that about 18,700, or 22.4%, were from higher-skilled Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders.

He added that the remaining increase of 64,800, accounting for more than 77%, was due to an increase in the number of holders of work permits and other work passes in sectors such as construction, which he states are not typically the type of jobs that Singaporeans want to do.

Dr Tan further defended the government’s stance by highlighting the growth in resident PMETs by 380,000 between 2013 and 2023, in contrast to a smaller increase of 50,000 Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders.