Employers are generally satisfied with the English proficiency of local university graduates, the Standing Committee on Language Education & Research says.

A recent survey found the English competency expected of graduates for different jobs in various industries range from the International English Language Testing System 5.5-equivalent to 7-equivalent.

For small to medium enterprises, the levels averaged from 5.78-equivalent in the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, to 6.34-equivalent in the transport, logistics, storage and communications sectors.

Conducted by the Policy Research Institute in September and October, the survey interviewed large firms employing 500 to over 1,000 staff in seven major sectors. A phone survey with 500 business enterprises, primarily SMEs, in those sectors was also conducted.

The survey report can be downloaded from this website. For a summary of the survey report click here.