SINGAPORE is the fourth most attractive posting globally for expatriates, according to a new survey from HSBC.

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