Singapore among 10 most desirable countries to work in, fewer Singaporeans want to work abroad due to Covid-19: Survey

• Singapore is now the eighth most attractive country to relocate to among workers; it was ranked 18th in 2018 and 24th in 2014
• Other countries in the top 10 are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States
• The survey also found that much fewer Singaporeans (44 per cent) want to work overseas, down from 70 per cent in 2018 and 79 per cent in 2014

SINGAPORE — Due to its management of the Covid-19 situation, Singapore has leapt into a top 10 spot for the first time as a desirable place to work, a study showed. It also found that fewer Singaporeans want to work abroad now than before the pandemic.

These findings were released on Monday (March 15) as part of a survey on workforce mobility around the world, done by employment matching firm Seek Asia and job marketplace JobStreet.

With the help of recruitment company The Network and management consulting company Boston Consulting Group, a total of 208,807 people were polled across more than 190 countries. 

Among them, 6,280 participants were from Singapore, with the majority being citizens. They have varied work backgrounds, including in retail, finance and the tech sector.

Singapore is now the eighth most attractive country to relocate to among workers. It was ranked 18th in 2018 and 24th in 2014.

Other countries in the top 10 are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

For people who would like to go to Singapore to work, they were chiefly from China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Switzerland — the only European city in the top 10 list among the origin countries.

JobStreet said in its press release: “Beyond commendable Covid-19 preparedness and response, Singapore has always been an appealing work destination for global talent. Other than robust international trade and investment, her digital infrastructure, national stability and culture of innovation also inspire confidence. 

“The top 10 countries from where PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), specifically in the digital field, would like to (go) to Singapore to work include China (fifth), Qatar (sixth), United Arab Emirates (eighth) and Switzerland (10th). These talents enjoy a high quality of life, and Singapore’s standard of living and working matches their home countries.”

The survey also found that much fewer Singaporeans (44 per cent) want to seek overseas job opportunities due to the pandemic.

This is a sharp drop from the 70 per cent who wished to go overseas for work in 2018, and 79 per cent in 2014, in a continuing downward trend.

Among those surveyed in Singapore, employees working in the media and information industry were the most willing to work abroad, with 72 per cent of those polled saying that they would do so. 

The report found that Australia remains the top destination where Singaporeans would like to work, mostly due to the work-life balance in the country and the fact that it is a multicultural society. 

The other favourable countries are China and Taiwan, which took the second and third positions respectively.

Countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, which were the second and third most popular destinations in 2018, fell and became less popular in the 2020 survey.

This data suggests that Singaporeans are also more willing to work in countries that have emerged as role models where Covid-19 management is concerned, JobStreet said.

On the subject of remote work, the survey found that slightly more than half of the Singaporeans polled are willing to take on remote work, 6 per cent less than the global average.

Among the top countries that Singaporeans would look to for remote work are Australia, China and the United States.

Conversely, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were among the top countries where employers there said that they would consider Singaporeans for remote employment.