S'pore moves up to No. 4 in list of desirable places to work

The Straits Times, 3 May 2012

SINGAPORE has moved up a notch to fourth most desirable place to live and work while Hong Kong remains unchanged at No. 6, according to a new survey.

The United States remains the most popular destination with Britain and Australia next, although their popularity is waning.

The survey's better reading for Singapore over a year earlier mirrors the increasing trend of multinational corporations setting up shop here.

Information technology, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and engineering companies as well as commodity and corporate lawyers have been flocking here, said Mr Simon Walker, Asia managing director at global recruitment firm Hydrogen Group, which commissioned the survey.

'These new industries growing their presence in Asia, with Singapore as their base, is one of the key drivers behind the continuous flow of talent into the country and the range of opportunities is making Singapore a very exciting destination to consider for international tenure,' he noted. 'Singapore is cleverly making itself an international player by welcoming a global workforce. The big question is whether Singapore will become Asia's Silicon Valley or its Switzerland.'

There are clear benefits for Singapore such as more taxes collected and jobs created for locals. Half of Hydrogen's Singapore outfit comprises local staff.

The survey - business school ESCP Europe interviewed 2,353 people from across the world at the end of last year - found that 88 per cent of professionals who have moved here felt that their living conditions had improved.

Mr Ben Morrell, bid manager at IT firm Grass Valley, moved here from Sydney last August. He values Singapore because of its clean and safe environment and easy access to fast-growing Asia. 'There are 2.5 billion people in Asia, compared to 29 million in Australia,' he said. 'At the end of the day, Singapore is the fast track. If you have the right attitude, then the opportunities exist here.'

Mr Walker feels the wave of foreign talent coming here will increase, despite the rising cost of living. 'Companies here are only looking for international talent if they cannot fill a vacancy from the domestic talent pool. The roles will go to the best profiles with the clearest motivations and a commitment to stay for a reasonable length of time.'

Download the report from Hydrogen Group

or the pdf file, Global Professionals on the Move Report 2012