Nearly two-third of Singapore workers willing to move abroad for work, Australia favourite destination: Survey

Neary two in every three workers in Singapore are willing to move abroad for work, according to a new survey.

The survey said that Australia is the most preferred destination for such workers, followed by the United States, China, Japan, and the United States.

The was conducted by jobs portal Jobstreet by Seek during October-December 2023. A total of 150,735 people in 188 countries were surveyed, including 3,260 workers in Singapore.

Drop in workers willing to move abroad post-Covid: Survey

While survey found that nearly two in every three workers in Singapore is willing to relocate abroad, it also found that the overall percentage for such willingness has reduced after the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Now, 64% workers in Singapore are willing to relocate abroad while figure for the same was 87% in 2018, according to The Strait Times.

Among those willing to relocate, Australia ranked as the top preference with 33% respondents preferring it. It was followed by other technology-driven economies of China, Japan, and the United States.

Of those willing to relocate, 72% were aged under 30.

While the figures are high for Singapore, the report said that Southeast Asian market’s figures (68%) are in line with global figures (63%).

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Among those willing to relocate, workers in the media and marketing sectors are the most willing to relocate abroad, according to the survey.

The two sectors are followed by digital sectors such as data science and artificial intelligence (AI).

The social care, social services, and administration are the least willing to relocate abroad for work.

Singapore’s workers prefer short-term stints: Survey

When it comes to working overseas, Singapore’s workers prefer short-term stints between one to three years, according to the survey.

The survey notes that this is in contrast to the global trends where the preference is for long-term indefinite stays.

Alyce Cheong, a certified Institute for Human Resource Professionals, told The Strait Times that Singapore’s workers’ preference for shorter stints could be “to fulfil familial obligations and be here to nurture the next generation”.

As for the reason for willing to relocate, most of the workers —60%— cited financial and economic reasons, as per the survey.