A recent study by RGF International Recruitment, has found that Singapore is the top pick for relocation amongst Asian jobseekers.
With an average monthly income of US$4,437, the study found that Singapore’s healthy environment for multinational corporations and its nurturing approach towards start-ups make it an alluring employment location for both locals and foreigners. Asian expats would prefer to relocate to Singapore than any other major market, including those in Europe and the United States.
The Lion City was the most popular relocation destination for working professionals hailing from Indonesia (38 per cent), Thailand (34 per cent), Malaysia (32.5 per cent), Japan (30 per cent), and India (29 per cent).
The healthcare and tech sectors are the most desirable industries, according to respondents.
This, according to the report, comes as no surprise amidst the nation’s mandate towards digitalisation and the Ministry of Health looking to fill 300,000 positions.
Amongst expat job-seekers in Singapore, six in 10 said that they were lured into the market due to financial compensation. Meanwhile, top calibre colleagues (13.8 per cent) and career advancement opportunities (10.8 per cent) were also cited as factors for trying to land a job in the city.
On the employer side, employers are highly positive when it comes to business growth and hiring plans as more than half (53 per cent) were optimistic about business growth. It was also the only country covered by the study where no respondents stated a pessimistic outlook.
However, hiring talent remains problematic for the Singapore market as 84 per cent of employers said talent shortage is the top concern for the future.
Other challenges include company culture mismatch (12.4 per cent) and low hiring budgets (10 per cent).
RGF also noted that although local employers primarily value industry expertise, they are “equally as concerned” about soft skills such as accountability and adaptability.
Article published 24th July 2019