The results of the 2008 JobsFactory Employers of Choice Survey (University Edition) are out!

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has emerged as the top private employer of choice for entry-level graduates, while the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is this year's most popular employer from the public sector!

Held online from 25th July to 18th August, this year's survey attracted a record number of 4,801 respondents from NTU, NUS and SMU. Which means it's the largest and most comprehensive university graduate-focused survey of its kind in Singapore!

Keen to find out which other employers made it to the rankings? Interested to know the salary expectations of entry-level graduates? For all that and more, CLICK HERE to download a FREE Extract Report!

Despite the challenging global economic outlook, multinational companies (MNCs) based in Singapore still expect an increase in moves within Asia by foreign talents.

Out of 105 companies surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers International Assignment Services, 64% expect an increase in short-term assignments within the region over the next two years.

70% of surveyed companies consider Singapore as the top assignment location in Asia, beating out countries like China and Hong Kong.

As for the key reasons for recruiting foreign talents, respondents cited a lack of suitable skills (read talent crunch) and the need for transfer of skills and knowledge.

However, companies face several key challenges, such as maintaining sustainable costs, talent management, practicing flexibility and managing risks. "In the wake of this financial crisis, many banks are hiring or replacing more cautiously. Recruitment today is now focused on critical positions to meet business needs," said Mr James Clemence, Partner at PwC IAS.

Conducted between March and July 2008, the survey focused on mobile employees of MNCs across different industries, who make up the top end of the workforce.

According to a survey of 1,002 graduates from SIM University (UniSIM), more than half of the university's graduates experienced a pay raise after graduation. The average pay increase for these graduates was 15%, while close to 1 in 5 got an increment of more than 30%.

The survey also revealed that 20% of respondents moved to a different job within 2 years upon graduation. Of these, 50% moved to a different industry altogether.

Conducted by The Nielson Company, this survey assesses the impact of Continuing Education and Training (CET) on working adults. The majority of respondents are in the 30-40 age group, and are employed in the public sector and multinational corporations (MNCs).

The President of UniSIM, Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, said, "We are heartened that UniSIM programmes have helped our graduates in their careers, fulfilled their aspirations, and hopefully improved their quality of lives."

If you've ever considered retiring in another country, you're not alone.

According to a survey of 300 Singaporeans aged 21 to 55, two-thirds indicated that they have thought about retiring in another country with a slower pace of life and lower cost of living.

Only 50% felt comfortable with the physical and social support available here, while 90% want to spend their old age at home, and not in a nursing home.

It's interesting how "a slower pace of life" and "lower cost of living" are reasons that Singaporeans commonly cite for not wanting to spend their twilight years here. Is Singapore really such a bad place to retire in?

Tell us what you think here

The lure of higher pay is one common reason for people who decide to change their jobs. But exactly how much more do jobseekers expect when jumping ship?

According to a recent survey of 846 professionals here by Robert Walters, 40% expect pay increments of 20-30%.

If the economic outlook for the rest of the year is anything to go by, these are pretty high expectations. In comparison, respondents in Europe and the United States mostly expect an increase of between 10-20%.

I guess it's all about knowing your own value as a professional, and managing that with the expectations of your prospective employers. Everyone knows how competitive the job market can be, so negotiating a salary that justifies your career switch which won't reduce your eligibility as a potential candidiate can get tricky.

But if you were the one to be offered a new job, how much of a pay hike would it take to convince you to leave your current one?

Log on to the JobsCentral Community Forum and tell us how much is enough here:
http://forum.jobscentral.com.sg/showthread.php?t=298

A report by the Ministry of Manpower has shown that university graduates are finding it easier to get jobs than polytechnic graduates in several industries.

As compared to degree holders, diploma holders reported lower rates of employment last year in accounting, computer engineering, business administration and finance.

For example, 98% of accounting degree holders were employed in full-time jobs within six months of graduating, a significantly higher figure than that of 77.3% for accounting diploma holders.

Hmm. Polytechnic graduates may be increasingly sought after in general, but it seems as though having a degree is still important when it comes to getting a job fast. That could be one reason for more polytechnic graduates going on to pursue degrees in local universities.

I guess there will definitely be employers out there who will continue to favour degree holders over polytechnic graduates, whether or not they are truly more capable.

The results of the 2008 BrightSparks Scholarship Rankings & Career Preferences Survey are out!

A total of 3,873 respondents took part in this year's Survey, which is a study of scholarship and higher education preferences of Junior College, Polytechnic and University students in Singapore.

In the overall rankings for top scholarship providers, two local universities made it to the top five, while the Public Service Commission (PSC) was once again voted as the top scholarship provider of choice.

For both recent 'A' Level graduates and final year polytechnic students, Business Administration / Management / Studies was the top course of study, while an overwhelming 97% of respondents indicated that they would like more scholarship organisations to use and accept the BrightSparks Scholarship Application Form.

For the uninitiated, BrightSparks is Singapore's largest and most popular scholarship and education media, which processed over 36,000 scholarship applications and referrals in 2008 alone.




To view more results gathered from the Survey, read a free extract report by clicking here:

http://brightsparks.com.sg/report/ExtractReport2008.pdf

Don't forget to let us know what think of this year's results!