Over 3 in 5 Singaporeans willing to go overseas for work: Report

SINGAPORE: A new report shows that more than three in five Singaporeans are willing to move abroad for work, with the highest number of those who say they’re down to relocate being workers under the age of 30.

Around the world, one in four employees are actively looking for work overseas, according to the Decoding Global Talent 2024 report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), The Network, which includes Jobstreet by SEEK, and The Stepstone Group.

The report is based on the responses of over 150,000 participants from 188 countries.

While Singapore ranks eighth as the preferred work destination across the globe, topping the list for Asian cities, a majority of the survey’s participants from Singapore—64 per cent—also expressed the willingness to pursue job opportunities in other countries.

Singaporean respondents expressed a preference for Australia as their top choice. This was followed by Japan and China, largely due to the technological advancements and mature economies in these countries.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the younger cohort of workers in Singapore, those younger than 30 years old, are the most willing to relocate for work, with 72 per cent having this response.

This is slightly higher than the average in Southeast Asia (70 per cent) for this age group and is similar to the global average (73 per cent).

One big difference is the duration of overseas work, however. Most Singaporeans who said they’d like to try working abroad said they’d like to do so on short-term assignments.

Moreover, they plan on coming home after the goals they set for themselves are achieved.

What workers relocating overseas want and expect

Why are workers today willing to consider employment in another country? Well, the number one reason has to do with the bottom line. The report shows that 64 per cent of respondents said they’d do so for financial and economic reasons.

Meanwhile, fifty-six per cent said work experience is their number one motivator for working overseas.

Additionally, many Singaporean respondents said they expect their employers to provide a good amount of support in helping them relocate, with 84 per cent saying they expect assistance with housing and 81 per cent expecting to be aided with visas and work permits.

Also, 77 per cent say they expect their employers to help them adapt to the culture of the country they’re moving to. /TISG

Read also: Singapore ranks 8th as preferred work destination globally, topping list for Asian cities