Students overseas: Don't worry about jobs when you return

by Saifulbahri Ismail

05:55 AM Jan 20, 2010 Today Newspaper

SINGAPORE - There is no need for Singaporeans studying overseas to be paranoid about their employment prospects when they return, said Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.

At a forum here attended by about 300 Singaporeans studying in Australia, he addressed their concerns about the competition from local graduates for jobs here.

Case in point: IT graduate Terence Teo, 25, who returned to Singapore last month after studying in Brisbane, Australia for a year.

Though it is still early in his job search, he is worried: "I think employers in Singapore would prefer graduates from local universities ... They might not even look at my resume at all, knowing I'm an overseas graduate."

But Dr Balakrishnan assured the students that Singapore is a meritocratic society.

"We will select the best person for the job based on his or her ability, and performance and it doesn't depend upon your race, religion, gender, wealth, social class or where you happened to have studied in, whether it's in Australia or Singapore ... You will be judged on your own merits," he said.

He observed that many overseas graduates have returned and been offered opportunities because of the value employers saw in them.

But he also reminded the students to manage their expectations - they should not expect and demand success to be delivered to their doorsteps.

Last year, some 7,800 Singaporeans enrolled to study in Australia.