Thinking of relocating to singapore

[Tophotdog]

Hi everyone. I am a long time lurker here on the boards. Glad to meet you all.

Been thinking about moving to Singapore for a while. Grew up mainly in the states and canada and now living in Hong Kong. Looking for more of an international mix and Singapore seems the perfect fit.

Have any of you made the move from Hong Kong to Singapore and hows the economy there? Easy to get a job?

Thanks for your advice and input!

[eastsider]

Ur question is too general for anyone to answer u accurately. If u r a fresh grad, sure it's easy to get a job. The more u earn, the more difficult n less options to switch job.

[thebearing]

What is your occupation may I ask ?

[wolfeyes1974]

i say you should stay put n HKG..

Job-wise depends which profession you're in.

[danheng1]

COE 95k. Home price is sky high, plus if you are a foreigner add 15% levy......
Unless you have a lot of money, it's not gonna be any better than HK

[Dfive]

cheapest car = $120,000
cheapest 3 bed condo = $1,100,000
Semi-detached house = $2,100,000+
Bungalow = $6,000,000 - 15,000,000 +++

Salaries..... worse than Australia ( if I use the general population as example ) !

Public Transport = Cheap
Taxi = Cheap - Average

Food = Cheap - Average
Hawker Center Food = super cheap
Steak = Waaaay over the top $

[Zhi_Peng]

Of so many countries, you choose Singapore? Why? And if I have a choice, I won't! I'm thinking of leaving and u r considering coming.

[Nooch]

IMHO, HK is better.

[pegasi]

I wouldn't say SG is worse off compared with HK. It depends on your profile and what is important for you - it is not always about money although that's one important factor for relocating.

Job wise I think HK is equally if not more competitive and I guess you would find a job here first before moving?

Finally the comments from this forum including those of mine reflect the sentiment of a certain segment of the society but not necessary the majority.

[Tophotdog]

Thanks for all your replies. Very informative. I

Wolfeyes: I have been jumping around in my career so kind of a jack of all trades. Manufacturing, consulting, sales foot soldier, advertising. I'm in my early thirties and just looking for a fresh start or perhaps starting my own business. Mid life crisis perhaps.

Zhi_peng: I'm thinking of Singapore cos its probably easier for me to get around language wise. Why do you want to leave? And where to?

Danheng1 & Dfive: good intel on those numbers. Much appreciated.

Pegasi: opinions are inherently biased I know! Just testing the general sentiment of a population that enjoys the finer things in life and where better to do so than this forum!?

[dtctan]

Don't ever think that is easy to make money in Singapore, I have several partimers that are graduates that can't even find a proper job.

[Mr. B]

Singapore is a paradise if money is not an issue.

[taxico]

...Been thinking about moving to Singapore for a while. Grew up mainly in the states and canada and now living in Hong Kong. Looking for more of an international mix and Singapore seems the perfect fit.

it is no longer easy for someone that is under qualified or under paid to get a work pass/working visa in singapore. seeing that you've been job hopping, it might not be easy for you to secure a job + work pass.

the days of any "foreign talent" landing just about any job are over. the days of easy permanent residency are also over. if you're of chinese descent, getting PR might be easier (but this entails having worked here for some time prior).

you will miss out on the slightly more varied weather in HK and the better weekend/night life. but in return, you get a better environment (literally) - it is healthier to live in singapore. singapore's as well located by air in SE Asia as HK is in E Asia.

i moved from US to singapore when i was 8 then back to US again when i was 17. after a few more stops, i'm back in singapore since a few years back. i love it here...

if you're asian, and you make good money, singapore's a good place to be at. and since you're young, i recommend you give it a shot. who knows... it might not be to your liking!

do bear in mind that singaporeans, in my opinion, are not very welcoming of "foreign talent." part of this problem was due to the "open door" policy of the government - (something that has since been reversed) a lot of possibly unqualified foreigners were enjoying themselves and advancing their careers at the expense of singaporeans.

i consider myself a bona fide singaporean as i spent 2 years and 4 months in the singapore army, and i studied here for almost 10 years - acceptance is much easier. in general, you will probably find it difficult to make local friends without such shared experiences.

if you're happy to mingle superficially with the locals, hang out with other expats, meet a lot of interesting women, then that will be your social life i think.

...I have been jumping around in my career so kind of a jack of all trades. Manufacturing, consulting, sales foot soldier, advertising. I'm in my early thirties and just looking for a fresh start or perhaps starting my own business...

it was very easy to start up a company and hire one self in the past. depending on the capital you have and the industry you'll be in, you may now find it extremely easy or very difficult (due to recent restrictions/changes). check out www.business.gov.sg

i think you might fare better on an expat forum - there're many people that relocate from HK to singapore. but i think there will soon be more people going the other way due to the inability to renew their singapore visas...

whatever the case may be, your first step is either to get a job and get a visa or start a company and get a visa. good luck!

[dtctan]

Starting a company in Singapore is as easy as ABC compare to other Asia countries but keeping it afloat is another story

[taxico]

Starting a company in Singapore is as easy as ABC compare to other Asia countries but keeping it afloat is another story

you are right.

i wasn't clear in my reply... starting a company to hire yourself (as a foreigner) is more difficult now compared to in the past.