Singapore - Expatriate Favorite in Asia

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Singapore is the best place to live in Asia according to the latest survey conducted by ECA on expatriate living and working conditions. Its high quality transport, communications, infrastructure and health facilities, low health risks, low pollution levels and low crime levels all contributed to making it the easiest place for international assignees to assimilate.

ECA International is the world’s largest membership organisation for international human resources professionals, serving a global network of over 4000 HR professionals in 1500 companies in 35 countries. Its annual Location Ranking Survey scores over 250 locations worldwide according to categories that include climate, prevalence/impact of natural disasters, health facilities and risks, transportation, the quality and availability of goods and services, accommodation standards, education, recreation, crime, socio-political climate. The survey is conducted amongst expatriates and the results verified and contextualised by independent ECA research. Scores collected for the survey can then be used to establish allowances to compensate expatriate staff and their families for the levels of adjustment needed to assimilate into the new location.

“There are many reasons for Singapore’s status as the best location in Asia. Although it boasts an excellent infrastructure, the added benefits of its cosmopolitan outlook and extent to which English is spoken make it a very easy location for an expatriate to assimilate into. Companies, therefore, rarely provide an extra allowance for hardship to assignees going to Singapore,?said Mr Lee Quane, General Manager of ECA International in Hong Kong.

Singapore scored better than second-placed Tokyo, largely because air pollution levels are much worse and the fact that Tokyo is frequently affected by earthquakes. However, certain factors are rated more favourably in Tokyo. For example, although Singapore boasts good health facilities, Tokyo’s are superior.