SINGAPORE is the 11th most expensive city in the world for expatriates, one place lower than its 10th position last year, says HR consultancy firm Mercer.

But the city moved up a notch to fourth place among cities in Asia-Pacific – which for the first time has three cities in the top 10 list of the dearest places for expats.

Tokyo remains the most expensive city in Asia-Pacific, with sister city Osaka second, and Hong Kong third. Singapore and Seoul round out the top five.

Cathy Loose, Asia-Pacific global mobility leader at Mercer’s information product solutions business, said: ‘Cities in Asia, such as Tokyo and Osaka, continue to be the most expensive cities given the relatively strong yen against other major currencies such as the US dollar.

‘Other high-ranking cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing remain relatively the same in terms of overall cost-of-living ranking.’

Part of the reason Asian cities feature more prominently in the worldwide top 10 list is the rise in residential property prices in the region, said Mercer senior researcher Nathalie Constantin-Metral.

‘At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, residential property prices in many Asian countries rose as the economic environment began to stabilise and demand for good expat housing increased,’ said Ms Constantin-Metral.

Among the 214 cities surveyed by Mercer, Tokyo was ranked second worldwide, giving up its place as the world’s most costly city for expats to Angola’s capital Luanda.

Ndjamena, in the central African nation of Chad, was placed third, followed by Moscow, then Geneva.

Mercer said the high living costs in some African cities reflects the continent’s increasing economic importance across all business sectors.

‘We’ve seen an increase in demand for information on African cities from across the business spectrum – mining, financial services, airlines, manufacturing, utilities and energy companies,’ said Ms Constantin-Metral. ‘Many people assume that cities in the developing world are cheap, but this isn’t necessarily true for expatriates working there.’

In particular, the cost of good, secure accommodation can be ‘extraordinarily high’, she said.

Mercer’s Cost of Living survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

New York is used as the base city for the index, and all cities are compared against the Big Apple. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar.

The cost of housing – often the biggest expense for expats – plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

Source: Business Times, 30 Jun 2010

TWO more junior colleges are building hostel facilities to offer accommodation options to their students.

St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) in Potong Pasir Avenue 1 and Anderson Junior College (AJC) in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 are both building 12-storey hostels to be completed by December next year.

Though the JCs declined to say if the hostels would cater mainly to foreign students, it is such students who take up 70 per cent to 80 per cent of hostel rooms in other schools, such as Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution and River Valley High School.

Foreign students at SAJC and AJC welcomed the move, which would save them the commute to school.

The hostels will have dining halls, computer and study rooms and recreational facilities like gyms, and music and television rooms. St Andrew’s Hall will also have a 600-seat dining room to accommodate the whole hostel.

The hostels will serve boys and girls from SAJC and AJC, as well as those from nearby schools.

When they are built, there will be 14 schools with hostel facilities.

The remaining rooms are generally used by Singaporean students participating in leadership and character development programmes, or as temporary accommodation for international students on exchange programmes.

The two schools declined to say how many foreign students they had.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said 12 per cent of the 510,000 students in primary and secondary schools, JCs and centralised institute are permanent residents and international students and the proportion has remained constant in the last few years.

An SAJC spokesman said: ‘The value of a residential campus lies not only in our students drawing valuable life lessons from learning together, but also from living together.’ She added that St Andrew’s Hall will also be used as a venue for programmes run at the St Andrew’s schools, for example as housing for students taking SAJC’s residential leadership programmes.

Foreign students said they might even choose to pick a school that has a hostel.

Said SAJC student Nicholas Lau, 18, a Malaysian: ‘I would prefer to study in a school with a hostel located right next door. It is more convenient, and if my activities end late, I can just walk back.

‘In McNair Lodge, we stay five to a room and there is little privacy. The facilities are also quite limited, so this new hostel will be a lot better for our juniors.’

Ainesh Madan, 17, an AJC student from India, said: ‘In Parry Hall, we live in separate blocks. The community spirit is not that strong. Hopefully, when we all start anew at this new hostel, we can build a stronger spirit.’

Ten Singaporean students told The Straits Times they preferred to live at home, but were excited about having access to the facilities.

‘We can use the facilities such as the swimming pool. We can also hold our school camps there,’ said Gladys Chew, a 17-year-old local student at SAJC.

MOE said there are no plans to build hostels in other schools.

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Accommodation options

Where the hostels are located: Potong Pasir Avenue 1 beside St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC), and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 behind Anderson Junior College (AJC).
Facilities: Dining halls, computer and study rooms, gyms, music and television rooms. St Andrew’s Hall will also have a 600-seat dining area.
Capacity: 600 each
Who will live at the hostels: Students at SAJC and AJC and nearby schools.
Date of completion: December 2011

Source: Straits Times, 26 May 2010

At full capacity, the three schools can take in between 4,500 and 7,500 students.

Currently, there are 94,000 international students enrolled in government and private schools here.

The new foreign schools can occupy the former Chong Boon Primary School in Ang Mo Kio Street 44, the former Nan Chiau High School in Kim Yam Road and three empty sites in Bukit Batok Road, Punggol Field Walk and Yishun Avenue 1.

The first can open as early as 2013 and the other two within the next five years after that, to add to the 41 international schools operating here already.

This is the second time that the Government has released vacant land and properties to meet the schooling needs of the growing expatriate community.

In 2008, the Economic Development Board (EDB) announced that seven sites would be made available for up to four international schools to ease the supply crunch situation at that time.

Many international schools then were full, and the popular ones had long waiting lists. The shortage of places was so dire that it was a stumbling block for companies looking to bring in expatriate employees and their families.

When contacted, Member of Parliament Josephine Teo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, estimated that the three schools, if constructed, will ease the supply crunch – for now.

However, it remains to be seen if they would be sufficient in the long run as Singapore positions to be an attractive Asian hub for global talent, she told The Straits Times.

‘It will be a matter of time before the additional places may not be enough and we will need to review the situation,’ she said.

When asked if the expatriate community should consider Singapore schools for their children, Mrs Teo said there is already a growing number of foreigners who send their children to schools here to immerse them in a Mandarin-speaking environment.

However, expatriates may still prefer to send their children to international schools, she said.

Typically, most stay here for a few years before going back to their countries and prefer to send their children to international schools which they are more familiar with and can get used to quickly, Mrs Teo added.

The supply crunch had eased considerably since last year when a new international school Stamford American International School was set up. Older schools such as the United World College of South East Asia and the Australian International School Singapore have also expanded their premises.

The EDB’s executive director of human capital and professional services Toh Wee Khiang said that demand for places in international schools held strong last year despite the recession, and is expected to grow as the economy bounces back.

The EDB received more than 20 proposals in 2008 and Mr Toh expects the response from interested schools this time round to be ‘comparable’.

He said proposals would be assessed on factors such as quality of education programmes, track record, and investment commitments.

The EDB may make available other plots of land for international schools in the future based on strength of demand, he added.

Source: Straits Times, 29 Mar 2010

SINGAPORE has emerged as the top place for Asian expatriates to live in for an 11th year running, according to global human resource consultancy ECA International.

High quality infrastructure, alongside low health risks, air pollution and crime rates, and a cosmopolitan population make Singapore the best city for Asian expats to relocate to, ECA says. Singapore came in first ahead of Sydney and Kobe, both of which retained their rankings from 2009 too.

Its annual location ratings report is intended to help global companies decide on ‘hardship allowances’ for expatriates, by analysing the quality of life for over 400 locations. The assessments take into account the home and destination countries of employees, which explains why while Singapore is top of the chart for Asian expats, it ranks 55th on the list for Western European ones. On that list, European cities dominate the top spots, but Singapore still ranks above Hong Kong, Tokyo and the major Chinese cities.

Lee Quane, Asia regional director of ECA, told BT that hardship allowances could come up to 20 per cent of an assignee’s base salary in less favourable locations.

Singapore’s emerging top on this survey thus bodes well for its cost attractiveness to global companies who wish to bring in staff from abroad. But these allowances are just one component of an expatriate’s overall compensation package.

In an ECA report comparing cities’ cost of living last December, Singapore climbed three spots to be the ninth most expensive Asian city for expatriates from all over.

Even then, Mr Quane said: ‘If you look at the wider picture, of the major cities in Asia – Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul – the cost to a company of sending an employee from elsewhere in Asia to Singapore would probably still be lowest.’

For instance, neither Hong Kong nor Singapore’s quality of living would warrant a ‘hardship allowance’ recommendation from ECA, but the cost of living in Hong Kong is still higher than in Singapore. This makes the overall compensation package for an Asian assignee sent here more cost competitive, he said.

Source: Business Times, 25 Mar 2010

It is Singapore-based private education provider Knowledge Universe, which has more than 350,000 students in its institutions worldwide, including 8,500 in its 41 institutions here, which are mostly preschools.

The injection of funds will give Knowledge Universe a majority stake in CIS, the founders of which will continue to manage the school while retaining a significant equity stake, said CIS founder and managing director Thomas Tang.

The new campus can accommodate up to 3,300 students when it reaches full capacity in 10 years.

Spread over 43,000 sq m, it will have state-of-the-art classrooms, sporting complexes, outdoor play facilities, as well as a performing arts and fine arts centre, an auditorium and a media centre.

Estimated to be completed by August next year, the new campus will consolidate the school’s current Toh Tuck, Bukit Tinggi and Kampong Bahru campuses. The school’s East Coast campus in Tanjong Katong will stay put, as it was recently renovated.

The school, which is not funded by the Canadian government, has 1,900 students across its campuses now.

The new campus almost could not materialise, a victim of the global financial crisis. The school ran into difficulties raising funds, and construction stalled in October 2008.

It was supposed to have opened in February last year, and when it became clear this was not going to happen, parents were thrust into uncertainty, unsure about whether they should keep their children there.

Ms Elizabeth Duke, whose sons are in Grades 3 and 5 in the school, said: ‘I know parents who have moved their children out, which affects me because my sons lose their friends.’

CIS head Glenn Odland said the school cast around for potential partners, and picked Knowledge Universe after rigorous evaluation.

‘We decided that Knowledge Universe offered the best fit for our school and our community,’ he said.

Mr Tang said both parties have been thoughtful and prudent in considering how the partnership should be structured to ensure maximum benefits for the students.

The unveiling of Knowledge Universe as the school’s partner comes nine months after CIS said it had secured financing from a partner it did not name.

Dr Odland said: ‘As a school, we recognise that many members of our community have experienced anxiety as a result of the delays in the Jurong project, and we are extremely pleased that we can now move forward.’

Ms Duke said she hoped that parents who were uncertain would now be persuaded to keep their children in CIS.

Referring to the August 2011 opening date, she said it was just one more school year away, which ‘will be tolerable to parents, and we’ll be able to maintain our strong community’.

Source: Straits Times, 16 Mar 2010

SOME people want to leave Singapore for greener pastures. But the city-state has some of the greenest around, according to expats surveyed by HSBC Bank International.

The survey quizzed 3,146 expats across 50 countries about their experience when integrating into local society and quality of life compared with that in their home country. And Singapore was ranked a respectable fourth out of 26 economies – ahead of the US, UK and Hong Kong.

Only places with at least 30 respondents were ranked to provide a more accurate indication of views and trends in each place.

Within the Asia-Pacific, Singapore was ranked third after Australia and Thailand, which snagged the top two spots.

Canada was ranked first among all countries in the survey.

Sebastian Arcuri, head of personal financial services at HSBC Singapore, said: ‘It is not surprising that expats ranked Singapore highly in the survey. Our expat clients from HSBC Premier have shared with us many anecdotes praising the efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure and the high standard of living here.’

On individual components that made up the survey – such as quality of accommodation, health care, food, education and the like – Singapore was ranked in tops for setting up utilities, with 82 per cent of respondents saying this was fuss-free.

On transport, seven out of 10 respondents said travelling here easier than in their home country, putting the island in fourth place.

For health care, Singapore was ranked sixth, with over half of respondents here saying they think Singapore’s health services are better here than those in their home country.

On schooling for expat children, Singapore was ranked second after Malaysia, with 37 per cent of respondents here saying education and child care are better than at home.

But expats living here seem to find it difficult to make local friends – Singapore was ranked 18th out of 26.

And even more interestingly, Singapore was ranked a relatively lowly 12th for food, with only 43 per cent of respondents saying food is better here than in their home country.

Still, this was higher than the global average of 36 per cent.

The survey was conducted by third-party research firm FreshMinds from Feb to April this year.

Source: Business Times, 15 Dec 2009

The bank’s report, which assesses the expatriate experience provided by 26 key locations, puts the Lion City behind Canada, Australia and Thailand but ahead of Bahrain, South Africa, France and the US.

Some 3,146 expatriates from 50 economies were polled for the survey, which ranks Singapore highly for logistics such as the setting up of utilities and transport, but lowly in terms of softer issues such as making local friends and hobbies.

Mr Sebastian Arcuri, HSBC Singapore’s head of personal financial services, said it was not surprising expatriates ranked Singapore highly.

‘Our expat clients have shared with us many anecdotes praising the efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure and the high standard of living here,’ he said.

Singapore got the thumbs up for quality of transport, education, childcare and health care.

The Republic emerged top for the setting up of utilities, with 82per cent of expatriates stating that the experience was fuss-free. By contrast, two-thirds of expatriates in the United Arab Emirates found the same process tough.

Singapore came fourth for transport, with the quality of this system making it easier to get to work.

Two-thirds of those polled noted an increase in the ease of travelling to work after moving to their new base, compared with 44per cent globally. And 72per cent said the general quality of travel was better than that available in their home countries.

Hong Kong came two places ahead of Singapore in this area, with expatriates finding the commute to work easier and noticing an improvement in transport generally.

Singapore excelled in education and childcare, coming in second behind Malaysia for organising schooling for expatriate children. Some 37per cent of expatriates here reported an increase in the quality of education and childcare after moving to Singapore, compared to only 18per cent globally.

But Singapore ranked a lowly 18th in terms of the ease of making local friends, and 24th for joining a local community group.

Mr Phillip Overmyer, an American and chief executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, said this could be due to housing and the presence of international schools and clubs.

He noted: ‘Most Singaporeans live in HDB flats, which are not yet popular as a housing choice for expats, who tend to live in private apartments. There are also strongly established networks among expat communities here.’

The major findings of the survey were supported by business chambers and expatriate communities.

Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Predeep Menon said: ‘Singapore’s been building up the buzz, which was known to be lacking a decade ago. Now it’s a more ‘happening’ place.’

Some aspects of the survey did not ring true with everyone though.

British Chamber of Commerce president Terry O’Connor said his members were very happy socially.

‘We have a thriving business networking scene. Singapore is an easy place for people to assimilate,’ he said.

A recent study conducted by the American Chamber showed that expatriates were most satisfied with the lack of corruption, Singapore’s laws and regulations, stable government and personal security. However, for the third year in a row, the survey cited housing costs and office lease costs as areas of concern.

Singapore service standards and cost of living are also negatives, said Mr Overmyer. ‘There are serious problems with the standards of service in the F&B, retail and hotel sectors. We’re getting wealthier people living here who are used to higher standards of service elsewhere, but are getting a lower standard of service here. We’re losing ground in this area relative to other countries in the region,’ he said.

Source: Straits Times, 15 Dec 2009

The survey, said to be the largest international survey of expatriates ever conducted, said Singapore has been ranked third among countries in the Asia-Pacific, after Australia and Thailand; and fourth against all the countries in the survey, after Canada, Australia and Thailand.

According to the survey, Singapore is tops when it comes to the setting up of utilities.

In terms of transport and commute to work, Hong Kong is ranked two places ahead of Singapore.

Singapore is a close second to Malaysia when it comes to organising school for expat children.

In terms of accommodation, over half of expats (51 per cent) in Singapore said that the quality of their accommodation has improved from their country of origin, compared to the global average of 42 per cent.

As for healthcare, over half (56 per cent) of expats felt that healthcare had improved when they moved to Singapore.

Singapore emerged a clear food haven with 43 per cent of expats agreeing that the food quality had improved significantly for them.

Commissioned by HSBC Bank International, Expat Experience is the second report in the Expat Explorer research. The survey questioned 3,146 expats across four continents and 50 countries on their experiences of integrating into local society and their quality of life in comparison to their home country.

Source: Business Times, 14 Dec 2009

The Stamford American International School (SAIS) started classes two weeks ago on its temporary campus in Lorong Chuan – beside the Australian International School Singapore (AISS) – with an enrolment of about 90 students.

By year’s end, it will take in another 90 students.

The school is operated by Cognita – an international education group that runs about 50 schools worldwide, including the AISS.

The group’s chief executive officer for Asia, Mr Brian Rogove, said yesterday that interest in the school has been high.

The number of inquiries on places has grown from about 20 a week at the beginning of the year to about 75 a week now.

He expects demand to remain strong, as many of the inquiries are from parents looking to relocate to Singapore soon.

In fact, he said, about half of the students currently enrolled come from families who moved here this year.

‘We see this as a sign that the economy is growing and more families will be moving here in future,’ he added.

SAIS expects to have 2,500 students by 2016, four years after its permanent campus in Upper Serangoon opens.

The school’s temporary Lorong Chuan premises can accommodate only 600 students.

SAIS takes in children between the ages of two and 18, and offers the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement Diploma programmes.

The demand for places at SAIS is mirrored at other international schools here.

For example, AISS – which currently has an enrolment of 2,258 – has over 100 children on its waiting list for next year.

Over at United World College of South East Asia (UWC), the waiting list is in the thousands, said the school’s director of communications, Ms Joy L. Stevenson.

The strong demand for places has dispelled earlier fears that the global recession would affect enrolment.

Earlier this year – as Singapore and the rest of the world were caught in the throes of the recession – insiders predicted that the rush for international school places would slow to a trickle, as companies cut jobs, forcing many expatriates to leave town and take their families with them.

But such fears proved unfounded.

In fact, UWC’s Ms Stevenson said that, if anything, waiting lists have grown longer. The reason, she said, is that ‘more expatriate families are staying on beyond their one- or two-year contracts, and are making Singapore their permanent homes’.

SAIS’ Mr Rogove agreed.

He said at the school’s opening ceremony yesterday: ‘According to an internal survey, we estimated that about 2,000 expatriate students would leave Singapore this year.

‘But to our surprise, this has not been the case. Not only are families staying on, but we are also seeing new families who just moved to Singapore this year applying for places in the school.’

He added: ‘I think this is due to the resilience of Singapore’s economy and also because of confidence in the quality of education in schools here.’

The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore said a survey it conducted showed that this year, there will be more people moving here than moving out.

Although they can apply to place their children in mainstream schools here, many expatriate parents prefer international schools.

When interviewed, expats said that while they plan to stay in Singapore for the long term, they want their children in international schools so that they can maintain links to their home countries.

One such parent is Mrs Laura Byers Day, a Canadian who has lived with her family here for 11 years. She has three children enrolled in SAIS.

Said the 40-year-old housewife: ‘We don’t plan to leave any time soon. Singapore is a great place to live in, it’s safe and the education is good.

‘But, at the same time, since we are so far away from home, we want our children to be educated in a system which we are familiar with.

‘And if they choose to go back, they will be able to fit in better.’

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MORE STAYING PUT

‘According to an internal survey, we estimated that about 2,000 expatriate students would leave Singapore this year. But to our surprise, this has not been the case. Not only are families staying on, but we are also seeing new families who just moved to Singapore this year applying for places in the school.
Mr Brian Rogove, Cognita’s chief executive officer for Asia

Source: Straits Times, 29 Aug 2009

According to Singapore-based education group Cognita, although earlier surveys had estimated the exodus of some 2,000 international students, improvements in Singapore’s economy have in fact led to an increase in expatriates moving into the country.

The company runs the new Stamford American International School, which opened its temporary campus at Lorong Chuan on Friday. It said some 32,000 students are studying in international schools here and the number is expected to double by 2014.

Kathleen Caoyonan, expatriate from Texas, USA, said: “With the younger kids, there are so few slots. I think people are starting to find a little bit more openings, but there is still a waiting list.”

Cognita has already committed S$250 million for the development of its new campus, which currently has over 80 students. The firm said demand is good, citing up to 70 enquiries on enrolment each week.

Brian Rogave, chief executive officer of Asia Cognita, said: “Every single enquiry we’ve had turned into enrolment. It’s a positive trend, we hope it continues.”

The current campus can take in up to 600 students. The permanent campus, to be located at Upper Serangoon, will offer some 2,500 places when it is ready by 2012.

Access to foreign schools is an important criterion for expatriates coming to work in Singapore, according to a study conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).

The study also found that more than three-quarters of respondents preferred attending international schools with home-country curriculum.

In August last year, the Singapore government had, for the first time, listed public buildings and vacant plots to be made available for more foreign schools.

Initial plans were for up to four schools to be built, but this was later scaled down to just one due to the economic downturn.

Cognita runs 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School here which has reported a waiting list of 114 for next year’s enrolment.

Source: Channel News Asia, 28 Aug 2009