With the rise of remote work, fewer Singaporeans may choose to work overseas

SINGAPORE: As flexible work arrangements become more common, the Managing Director for Jobstreet Singapore, Chew Siew Mee, told HRM Asia that the number of Singaporeans who wish to work overseas may decrease.

A June 10 piece in HRM Asia noted that the ability to work remotely may replace some employees’ dreams of relocating to other countries.

Flexible work arrangements are becoming more popular, and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep) announced guidelines for this in April. Remote work has never been so accessible.

Working from home may be the only real gift that the COVID-19 pandemic gave all of us. It removed the well-entrenched notion of the eight-hour, Monday-to-Friday daily grind.

It also reduced workers’ commuting hours and expenses and allowed them to work in their pyjamas all day if preferred. But what about seeking greener pastures in other nations? Is this still what many Singaporeans want?

Read also: Over 70% firms agree that flexible work arrangements can help attract and keep talent

“At the moment, the percentage of global talents willing to move abroad has seen a continual decrease from 71 per cent in 2018 to 67 per cent in 2020 and 63 per cent in 2023,” said Ms Chew.

At the same time, there have been more offers for remote work.

She added that in 2023, data from Jobstreet showed a 15-fold increase in the volume of flexible and remote job postings compared to four years earlier.

But more than that, Ms Chew added that the drop in the number of people wanting to relocate overseas could be expected to continue, particularly with the new Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests announced on April 16.

“These are attributed to job seekers recognising the benefits of remote work, such as greater autonomy and flexibility in schedules, aiding them in achieving work-life balance,” she added.

However, Ms Chew also said that this does not mean moving to another country for work will end completely, as the increase in global mobility may likely “cause trends in the recruitment landscape to continually shift.”

She added, “64 per cent of Singapore respondents expressed a willingness to pursue opportunities abroad.”

JobStreet’s study, Decoding Global Talent 2024, showed that Singaporeans, especially those from the younger cohort of workers, expressed an interest in working in high-tech and mature economies such as Australia, China, and Japan, especially in short-term jobs that allowed them to come home afterwards. /TISG

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