Singapore is located in one of the fastest growing regions in the world. The Asia- Pacific is home to some of the world’s most dynamic cities. No wonder then that Singaporeans remain strongly attracted to the possibilities of living and working around the region.

By Ruth Wong

Even though the cities of Western Europe still rank as the ones with the highest quality of living in the world, those cities lack the sheer energy that characterises many Asian cities today. More pragmatically, Europe is half-a-world away from Singapore — for many of us, it is simply too far away to relocate ourselves.

Asian cities, on the other hand, bring the excitement of working away from home, without the downside of having to adjust to a completely different culture. We take a brief look at a few of the more attractive cities in Asia.

Hong Kong
According to a report by Hudson, an international recruitment and human resource consultancy firm, expectations for permanent employment in Hong Kong are at the highest since the forth quarter of 2000. Hong Kong’s role as a financial and supply chain hub for mainland China translates into an increasing demand for professionals with relevant skills, and the local workforce is unable to meet the demand. In other words, job opportunities for expatriates are relatively plentiful compared to other cities in the region.

Wayne Lim, a married Singaporean who is now working as an Associate Director in Hong Kong’s banking sector says, “In financial services, I can see more opportunities here than in Singapore. Many of the regional headquarters of investment banks are located here for example.”

Companies in Hong Kong lever on their close proximity to China to serve businesses on the mainland. As more companies in China launch initial public share offers, or venture into large-scale mergers and acquisitions, companies in the financial sector have to raise salaries, some by as much as 40%, to attract much-needed manpower to cope with the workload.

Job opportunities aside, Hong Kong has much to offer expatriates — a wide variety of food, exciting nightlife and plenty of shopping. Desirene, a Singaporean married to a Hong Konger and who is now teaching there, is also charmed by the landscape of the city. She says, “I fell in love with the beautiful hills and mountains – the landscape here is not flat like Singapore, so it’s a lot more interesting.”

Indeed, those who love the outdoors take part in weekend hiking activities along several scenic walking trails and beaches, while others indulge in short getaways to mainland China.

However, the cost of living is high in Hong Kong. It is in fact the fourth most expensive city in the world, according to a global survey of 144 cities done by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Due to the scarcity of habitable land, combined with a teeming population that is always in need of more homes, rental rates in Hong Kong are notoriously high. Wayne and Desirene, like many foreigners, are not on expatriate packages. Fortunately though, their salaries are easily double that of what they would earn in Singapore, so both of them still find it possible to live within their means.

And the quality of living is not all rosy either. Air pollution has become a perennial problem that contributes to rising health risks. Combined with the lack of space for children to run about, as well as a pre-school education that is double the cost of Singapore’s, it’s easy to see why Wayne does not consider Hong Kong to be a family-friendly city.

Shanghai & Beijing
China’s booming economy has attracted many expatriates, and Shanghai and Beijing are where most of them will head off to.

Bear in mind that it is not necessarily financially rewarding to work in China these days, as the trend is for companies to pay foreigners local or local-plus packages instead of full expatriate packages. Jacqueline, a Singaporean stationed in Shanghai as a Business Controller is on “semi-expatriate package”. She gets allowances for housing, meals and air tickets, and shares a driver with another colleague. Jacqueline notes that packages now are lower than before, and they tend to be quoted in Renminbi (RMB) instead of US dollars.

With the great number of foreigners flocking to China, it is little wonder that many are willing to settle for local pay packages to beat the competition for jobs. Those that do so feel that it is a sacrifice worth making, as they would be gaining valuable firsthand knowledge of one of the world’s fastest growing economies in return.

It helps that some creature comforts remain relatively inexpensive in China. Kevin Woo was with an international IT company when he took a sabbatical to study Chinese in Beijing. He found local prices to be cheap enough for him to enjoy great food while travelling all over China, and for him to indulge in his love for the arts.

Kevin was subsequently offered a posting to his company’s Beijing office. While setting up his new home, he recalled how cheap it was to hire an “Ah Yi” (the local term for a domestic helper) to take care of his household chores — he only needed to pay her RMB10 (approximately S$2) per hour!

It’s not all fun and games though. Air pollution, uncouth behaviours of some locals like spitting, pushing, talking loudly and not queuing up (which come as a culture shock to many foreigners), poor service and hygiene standards in certain places are just some of the things that expatriates have to contend with.

These aside, Jacqueline feels working in China provides valuable exposure to a different culture. However, she says that those who plan to work in China may face the problem of not being able to move back home as she and her friends have encountered many headhunters who expected them to continue working there. Unfortunately, more and more Chinese nationals are also returning from overseas to work in their native country, so the number of high quality jobs for expatriates is beginning to decline.

As for Kevin, he places great value on the friendships he has built up with the local and expatriate communities. He advises potential expatriates in China to always look at the “total experience” – unpleasant things are bound to happen, but stay focused on the positive aspects instead. By staying open-minded, you will better appreciate the China experience as a whole.

Tokyo

After more than a decade in the doldrums, the sun appears to be rising again on Japan. According to the latest Hudson report, employment expectations in Japan are at an all-time high. This is good news for jobseekers from abroad. Foreigners seeking to make a living in Japan usually make a beeline for Tokyo. That should not be surprising, as Tokyo is ranked as the second best city in Asia in terms of quality of living.

Cheryl Tong is one such expatriate. She is a headhunter who has been working in Tokyo for over a year now. She first worked in Japan eight years ago and is now in Tokyo because she wanted a career change, and to continue her “love affair” with Japan. She has little difficulty settling into this bustling city, as this is not her first time in Japan. Sure, there are things to gripe about, such as the daily morning squeeze in the train, the expensive yet tiny accommodation and the ridiculously expensive cab fare. But these are not enough to stop her from gushing about the city.

For example, she loves the four seasons and everything that goes with it – the change in food and clothing, the different activities for each season, and the varying hues in the landscape. These are aspects of life which she would never experience in Singapore. There are also many interesting places on the outskirts of Tokyo that make ideal weekend retreats. You will not get hawker food prices in Tokyo, but in exchange, you get to enjoy fabulous Japanese restaurant food that would cost you an arm and a leg in Singapore.

In contrast, Sharmaine and her husband had a slightly bumpier start to their experience of Japan. They quickly found that the hardest thing about living in Tokyo was not being able to converse in Japanese. This meant that setting up their new home and sorting out simple things like installing a telephone line took twice as long.

However, they managed to take it all in their stride, and soon found themselves appreciating the very orderly way in which things are done in Japan. “There is a set manner in which things are done. As long as you do what is generally expected, things will function like clockwork. You can even buy a train ticket months in advance and be confident that it will arrive at the exact minute that you expect to board the train,” says Sharmaine with a smile.

Sydney & Melbourne

While Australia is not technically a part of Asia, it does enjoy very close ties with the continent, so it is important to keep the huge country in mind as well. This is especially when Sydney and Melbourne are ranked ninth and 17th respectively in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey.

Sydney and Melbourne are cosmopolitan, multi-cultural cities. With great theatre companies, museums, galleries and natural attractions like the Blue Mountains in Sydney and the Twelve Apostles and Mount Buller in Melbourne, there is something for everyone, provided that you’re visiting as a tourist.

Trying to live there as an expatriate may be a different matter altogether. Working opportunities are not easy to come by, because of the complex visa application process that requires exhaustive details on education, work skills, career history, mental and physical health status, just to name a few. The tedious process discourages many companies from employing foreign workers. Your chances are slightly better if you fall under the category of professional and skilled migrants.

Interestingly, you may be surprised to find that trade and technical occupations such as plumbers, hairdressers, carpenters and electricians are in great demand. If you possess such skills, you may find that you have a better chance of getting into Australia than a highly-educated professional. Nonetheless, the traditional route of entry is still to study in Australia, apply for permanent residence, and then start looking for a job.

As usual, good living comes at a high price. Depending on what you compare, the cost of living in Sydney or Melbourne can be higher than Singapore’s. Rent and food, for example, are definitely more expensive there than in Singapore. But a car, on the other hand, is very cheap. And you will find good use for it, as there are plenty of places on the outskirts of both cities that are easily accessible with your own transportation.

That doesn’t mean that you are forced to have your own car though. If you do not wish to incur such expenses, you can be assured that an efficient network of public transportation does exist in both cities, which may be all you’d need, especially if you are going to live and work near the city centre.

Finally, if you’re so inclined, you may want to step a bit off the beaten track, and head off to the many emerging economies in the region. There are many such possibilities in Southeast Asia, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh.

The standards of living may not be high as Singapore’s, but the levels of dynamism do not lag behind the cities we’ve mentioned earlier. More importantly, if your company does indeed need to post you to these cities, then it is also likely to offer you an attractive expatriate package to compensate for any negative changes to your quality of life.

Wherever you decide to go, always remember that we live in very interesting times. It is increasingly possible to find work anywhere around the world today, so do not fall into the trap of thinking that your opportunities are limited to Singapore alone. Of course, the amount of effort you have to put in to secure such opportunities will vary widely from individual to individual, but in return, you will be rewarded with a much broader perspective on life and the world around you. For many expatriates, that experience alone is worth all the trouble they go through.