Two-thirds of Singaporean workers open to relocating overseas for work: study

Among these, 72% are younger than 30, according to The Straits Times, which cited a study published on Tuesday by Southeast Asian employment website Jobstreet.

The study featured survey data from over 150,000 professionals from 188 countries.

The key factors influencing their decision to relocate abroad are financial and economic reasons, career considerations like work experience or job progression, and quality of life, which encompasses cost of living, safety, stability, and security.

Commenting on why less Singaporean workers are inclined to move overseas, David Blasco, general manager at recruitment firm Randstad Singapore, said: "[After the Covid-19 pandemic,] More companies in Singapore are offering better benefits, initiatives, and reshaping job responsibilities to meet talent expectations, reducing the allure of overseas ventures."

Among Singaporean participants, 33% voted for Australia as their most favored destination for moving abroad, followed by popular developed economies like China (16%), Japan (14%) and the U.S. (13%).

Additionally, neighboring countries like Malaysia and Thailand are also preferred due to their proximity to Singapore.

Similar trends are observed in Southeast Asia and globally, with 68% and 63% of workers respectively open to relocation.

On the flip side, Singapore also attracts a large number of foreign workers, making it the eighth most desirable city to work in globally, The Independent Singapore reported, quoting the same study.

Most respondents who voted for Singapore cited better high-quality job opportunities and quality of life as reasons for their choice.

Of these, many come from nearby nations, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.

Nearly 30% of Malaysian respondents had Singapore as their top choice. The city-state is also eyed by many professionals from China and India.

Singapore’s high-skilled sectors, such as marketing and media, digital, data science, artificial intelligence, business management, engineering, and research and laboratory, are deemed appealing by international professionals, who said the city offers them greater career opportunities than in their home countries.