When meeting locals or expatriates in Singapore you are most likely to ask: How long have you been in Singapore? What brought you here? Of course, you hear a lot of answers like, “I was sent by my company.” However, the answers are becoming more varied since Asia, for the past several years, is the fastest growing region, producing the largest number of new billionaires.
Noticeably, there is an increasing number of individuals like me who moved to Singapore to fulfill their own personal aspirations. We’ve opted to become “Permanent Residents” (PRs) under Singapore immigration law. As PRs rather than expatriates coming in for an international assignment, you don’t receive the perks given to you using a company’s expatriate benefits. But you don’t have a boss to tell you that your journey is over and that you will be sent home tomorrow – something we’ve witnessed, sadly, too often recently.
Why choose Singapore?
In fact, the reason my wife and I wanted to move to Asia in the first place is because of the “buzz” we felt while on a backpacking holiday visiting Southeast Asia in 2004. Then, the process was to identify what talent we bring to the table and where it would fit best. In my case, I brought many years of international business experience in technology market segments. I was looking to lead teams across Asia and where I would live is an important aspect of finding that type of opportunity. In Asia, the leading cities or states for regional roles are Hong Kong, Singapore, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. All have pros and cons, and you need to understand what influences your decision to pick one.
