Courtesy Contact Singapore

Whether you’re a recent college graduate frustrated by the discouraging domestic job market, a mid-career professional considering a change in your path, or a seasoned specialist simply looking for a new environment in which to achieve greater heights, Singapore is actively recruiting your foreign-grown talent.

The first thing to know about Singapore is that the economy rewards hard work and talent no matter what your origins. “Here the very best can rise and reach their maximum potential,” no matter what their background may be, says David Tan, Director and Head of Contact Singapore, an organization dedicated to global recruitment. “There are no barriers to talent achieving success.”

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agrees. The principle of meritocracy “is a very important part of our values. If you are able, then you move ahead. And you are given not just greater rewards, but heavier responsibilities. It’s fair; it’s the right way to do it, and I think it stimulates people to give their best.”

Roughly one quarter of Singapore’s total population of 4.13 million is comprised of foreigners, drawn to the exciting opportunities that Singapore has to offer. Mark Shipton, 22, a recent British university graduate arrived in Singapore just two months ago. “I thought the opportunity to experience a completely new culture while gaining some real-world experience would be quite stimulating.”

According to Katie Do, a training specialist with Cendant Mobility, the world's largest provider of relocation management services, and, incidentally, a Washington, D.C. transplant, "Singapore is a very easy city to live in for foreigners. The transportation system is reliable and efficient, and everything is close in proximity. The cultural diversity that Singapore offers is wonderful, as one can mix among the Chinese, Malay, and Indian communities. Singapore is also a great hub for traveling around the region, for both work or pleasure."

In addition to offering a wide variety of cultural activities, a classy lifestyle, and a thriving nightlife, Singapore offers ample opportunity for newcomers to “cross-fertilize” the knowledge, expertise, and ideas they’ve nurtured abroad with Asian perspectives and thought-processes.

Abundant opportunities exist for career advancement in Singapore’s burgeoning sectors, particularly high-tech and biomedicine. Other key growth industries include arts and entertainment, banking and finance, chemicals, communications and media, education, engineering, healthcare, and logistics.

Contact Singapore has started a new program that allows job seekers the chance to explore the job market, make contacts, and decide if relocating would be agreeable. With a three to six-month Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate, foreign nationals who hold degrees from high-caliber tertiary institutions, irrespective of nationality, may enjoy an extended stay while pursuing their business and employment opportunities. This service is key for fresh graduates who may lack formal on-the-job experience, but who have new-fangled knowledge to share.

Singapore also hopes to attract the adventurous, entrepreneurial type with two programs. First, the Technopreneurs Scheme facilitates processes for foreigners who wish to establish and run their own start-ups in Singapore. Second, the Startup Enterprise Development Scheme (SEEDS), offers approximately $30 million in equity financing for startups and new businesses. Many past applicants are now engaged in a variety of information technology and product design services, putting Singapore on the map as an attractive location for entrepreneurs and “technopreneurs” in the Asia Pacific region.

With four offices servicing North America (Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto) and an additional seven offices worldwide (Europe, India, China, and Singapore), Contact Singapore is an “information and resource center that offers professional advisory services and networking channels to global talent.”

Contact Singapore directs job seekers to 20 different on- and off-line resources advertising available positions, as well as retain candidates’ credentials in a database that is accessed regularly by numerous potential employers.

For foreign professionals who have decided to make the leap, Contact Singapore offers advice and assistance on matters of cultural transition. In addition to helping you navigate sometimes cumbersome immigration issues, Contact Singapore’s “settling-in seminars” acquaint new arrivals with housing, taxation, children’s education, healthcare, and other concerns.

Singapore-based companies seeking employees make use of Contact Singapore’s extensive international network, multiple job sites, global recruitment fairs, and campus recruiting missions.

The organization is also active in keeping overseas Singaporeans in touch with their native land.

For more information on employment and education opportunities in Singapore, please visit
www.contactsingapore.org.sg.