Budget 2026: Student wishes Gov’t would incentivise companies to hire fresh graduates, including paying for probation period

SINGAPORE: With Prime Minister Lawrence Wong rolling out the national budget later this week, some Singaporeans are being asked about what they would like to see included in it.

Like many of her peers, job security appeared to be top of mind for one young woman who will be graduating this year.

She told CNA that she would want the Government to incentivise companies to hire fresh graduates for entry-level roles, so that companies would not look for applicants with experience for these roles.

“Companies can take a chance on these fresh grads,” Shaza Daliela Rahmat told the hosts of CNA’s Deep Dive podcast.

Ms Rahmat suggested that the Government could pay for new hires’ probation periods, which would serve as an incentive for companies to hire fresh graduates. This way, the three-to-six-month probation of new hires would not be a burden on employers’ shoulders.

Her comment drew approval from business owner Beatrice Liu, who was also interviewed for Deep Dive.

“That would be really nice,” said Ms Liu.

Podcast host Steven Chia asked, however, if what Ms Rahmat was suggesting is similar to the Government’s GRIT programme, which offers three to six-month traineeship opportunities across different sectors.

Ms Rahmat said that she wished for something that guarantees an actual job at the end of the probation period, which the GRIT programme does not.

Tiffany Ang, who also hosts the show, said that at the end of the day, what new graduates want is job security, knowing that at the end of the day, there’s a job waiting for them.

Last year, a survey from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) showed that around three in five young people cited job security and financial stability as the main priorities in looking for job opportunities, as opposed to flexible work arrangements.

According to the Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey, the number of fresh graduates who were able to secure full-time positions went down from 84.1% in 2023 to 79.5% in 2024.

The problem, it seems, isn’t just one young people face.

In February 2025, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said that one in three Singaporeans is concerned about job security.

“Even while the Singapore economy grew at more than four per cent last year, job security is still at the top of mind for many working Singaporeans, including PMEs,” said Mr Ng.

Global economic conditions, a skills mismatch, and advances in technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), are just some of the main reasons for the concerns. /TISG

Read also: 60% of youngsters prioritise financial security and stability as they seek new job opportunities