Many engineering graduates also end up choosing a different career path.
Mr Chan Ewe Jin, president of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, said that factors such as long working hours and a lack of public appreciation for the complexity of engineering work deter young professionals.
On top of this, he said, remuneration often does not match the time and effort needed to progress in the profession.
“Unlike some other professions, an engineering career develops through mentoring, structured training and considerable hands-on experience, which naturally takes time to acquire,” he said.
For Mark, learning that his internship company paid below-average starting salaries to entry-level engineers was a turning point.
“The whole financial aspect of being an engineer in Singapore is anything but attractive,” he said.
Based on the latest graduate employment survey, fresh graduates in traditional engineering disciplines at NUS, NTU and SIT earned median gross monthly salaries of S$4,000 to S$5,500 (US$2,930 to US$4,030). The data takes into account graduates who have already left the industry.
Others are put off by a disconnect between what they learnt at school and the realities of the job.
John, a 24-year-old mechanical engineering graduate now working in consulting, said he lost interest just a year into his course.
“I was expecting it to be a lot more practical, a lot more hands-on, and I was also hoping to learn things that were more at the frontier of industry,” he said.
Much of the material that was taught, he added, seemed to be “recycled” from years ago and not applicable to the real world.
Kevin, an aerospace engineering student, is considering moving into finance.
“It’s not that there’s a lack of roles. It’s just that the roles … are more to do with MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul),” he said.
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE PROSPECTS
The authorities have recognised the need to attract and retain talent.
For the civil engineering sector, a task force for architectural and engineering consultants has made 11 recommendations, including internships with higher starting salaries and dedicated mentors.
It also suggested changes to procurement practices to help firms invest more in talent.
Industry experts and students welcomed the proposals and expressed hope that similar measures would be applied across engineering fields.
Fourth-year NTU student Rohan Govindharajalu said around 40 per cent of his mechanical engineering peers are undecided about entering the field after graduation.
“Imagine if the companies just offer S$200 or S$300 more, then the pay difference might just be very little … And if their passion for engineering is good enough, they might choose to go into engineering instead of going into a bank,” said Mr Govindharajalu, who is among those who hope to pursue engineering after graduation.
Mr Kho of ACES said implementation will take time. “Surely this cannot be done overnight, right? It will take a lot of continuous effort, sustained effort over a few years at least, to see the change.”
