Independent Research Firm to Collate Findings for Annual Graduate Employment Survey

Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Education if the Ministry will consider (i) appointing an independent vendor to conduct the annual Graduate Employment Survey (GES) for the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs); and (ii) mandating that response rates and sample sizes of the respective IHLs should be cited instead of overall figures.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: The Autonomous Universities (AUs) and Polytechnics have employed rigorous survey methodologies to collect and analyse data for their Graduate Employment Surveys (GES), including selecting reputable and experienced independent survey companies to assist them in this exercise. From 2012, a single survey company will be commissioned to conduct the GES for the AUs, as has been the case for the Polytechnics since 2005.

MOE requires a response rate of at least 70% in the GES for every single institution, to ensure that both aggregated and institution-specific findings are robust. This requirement is imposed for both the GES done for the Polytechnics as well as the AUs, and is also in line with the accepted industry norms for such surveys.