SINGAPORE: Expats ranked Singapore the top destination in the
world for them as it provides the right balance of career
opportunities, lifestyle, and a stable economy, according to a HSBC
survey released on Wednesday (Sep 23).
The HSBC Expat Explorer placed Singapore ahead of countries like
New Zealand, Sweden, Germany and Australia. It polled 21,950
respondents from 39 countries, and asked them to rank countries
based on career prospects, financial well-being, quality of life,
and ease of settling for partners and children.
The city-state also scored the highest when it comes to
confidence in its economy. A total of 79 per cent of expats in
Singapore are confident about its economy, compared to a global
average of 48 per cent.
Additionally, 59 per cent of the expats believe Singapore is a
good place for their career advancement and 53 per cent believe
they are able to acquire new skills more in Singapore than at
home.
65 per cent of them feel that their children's health and
well-being have improved since they moved to Singapore.
The expats felt that Singapore offers better quality education
for their children, "even though it is more expensive".
The survey also said that Singapore "is a great destination for
entrepreneurs", with 87 per cent of them agreeing that it is a good
place to start a new business.
Matthew Colebrook, head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management
at HSBC Singapore, said: "Singapore has worked hard to position
itself as attractive for business. It is pleasing to see that its
economic and political stability and general pro-business approach
is being recognised by entrepreneurs globally."
- CNA/wl
