Young and unemployed in Singapore: Should you migrate out? Here’s MOM data on jobs abroad.

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The youth employment situation has been the talk of the town in recent months. As the government launches traineeship programmes for young graduates and complaints about low starting pay grow louder, some might be tempted to leave Singapore behind and find greener pastures abroad.

Somewhat surprisingly, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower has decided to explore the topic in its latest report on the realities the youth—that is people between 15 and 24 years of age—have to face in different labour markets among developed countries around the world.

With youth unemployment still at 6.8%, compared to resident unemployment rates of just 2.8%, maybe it’s not such a bad idea?

Is the grass greener on the other side?

While local unemployment rates for the young may look elevated, they are nothing in comparison to most OECD countries—including seemingly caring, welfare states in Sweden, Finland or Denmark, with youth joblessness reaching between 15 and 25%.

On these figures, Singapore ranks on par with Germany and both are decisively beat by Japan, where only 3.9% of young people had a problem finding a job in 2024.

However, perhaps a more valuable measure is the long-term unemployment rate—that is the share of the given population staying out of a job for six months or more. On this metric, Singapore youths are actually on par with the national average of just 0.8%:

But the real eye-opener is the international comparison, where Singapore surges to the top:

It’s interesting to see how much Sweden or Finland improve in this ranking, showing that the seemingly very large unemployment issue among the youth is actually short-term, and most end up landing a job in under six months.

Conversely, while most get hired quickly in Japan, relatively more are left behind for longer, which is where Singapore and the Netherlands take the lead as the most youth-friendly labour markets.

Also worth noting is the fact that those figures are not meaningfully skewed by short-term, part-time employment, as 80% of 15 to 24 year-olds in employment in Singapore are working full-time:

What works for you

Of course such synthetic, statistical comparisons do not necessarily show the full picture, or one that is accurate for you. But they do provide a comparison of general circumstances your peers are facing in their respective countries.

Individual experiences will vary widely, though.

Perhaps in your dream profession, the situation is more promising somewhere else with more job opportunities and higher pay. We know that some graduates in Singapore are getting offers of S$7,000 or more but there are also those who have to ask themselves whether to accept the lowly S$2,600.

On a personal level, it always depends—on you, your education, your choices, and your ability to sell yourself in the marketplace.

But by statistical averages, Singapore continues to offer some of the best starting conditions for young entrants anywhere in the world right now.

Featured image: ronniechua/ depositphotos