A TOTAL of 2665 tertiary graduates had no employment records identified, while 3540 were found to be employed among 7528 graduates assessed over the past three years, says Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel.
Speaking at the opening of the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS) Strategic Planning Workshop and launch of its Strategic Plan 2026–2031 in Suva yesterday, Mr Immanuel said the findings highlighted the need to track graduate employment outcomes.
“Already, through cooperation with FNPF, TSLS has begun identifying the employment status of its graduates,” he said.
“Of 7528 graduates examined over the past three years, 3540 were identified as employed, while 1323 had FNPF records but were not recorded as currently employed, and 2665 had no employment records identified.”
Mr Immanuel said the information would help Government assess the returns on its investment in tertiary education and improve workforce planning.
“This information provides an important starting point for better graduate tracking, workforce planning and determining the return on Government’s investment.”
“It also reinforces the need for stronger coordination between education, employment and economic development policies.”
He also highlighted TSLS’s efforts to digitise historical scholarship records to improve data accuracy and graduate tracking.
“Since June this year, TSLS has commenced the digitisation of more than 60,000 historical scholarship files, some dating back to the 1980s.”
The employment figures do not necessarily mean all graduates without identified records are unemployed, as their employment status requires further clarification.
