EXPATS live the good life, according to popular perceptions. Company-provided housing in Districts 10 or 11, children’s school fees, cars, home leave and more do indeed make the expat lifestyle alluring.

A predominance of Western and North Asian expats in past years has given way to ever more nationalities enjoying the same perks.

In reality, these perks are more complex. Even though expatriates are most often employees assigned abroad for two to three years with benefits enabling them to live as well abroad as they did at home, the sizes of their packages vary tremendously.

There are also long-term expats, many of whom stayed on long after their initial 2-3 year assignment to continue to receive expatriate benefits even after living in Singapore for a decade or more. There are also foreigners who voluntarily choose to relocate to Singapore and find an expat package waiting when they were hired.

While reports of fewer expat packages have circulated for years and many foreigners have received reduced packages or nothing extra at all, headhunters confirm that the recent economic downturn has speeded up the shift away from expat packages; fewer now enjoy the pampered expat lifestyle. When they’re cutting benefits or even eliminating jobs, companies are hard pressed to continue paying the large packages for a select few.

As Ms Linda Eunson of the University of Chicago in Singapore puts it, more businesses have moved from hiring expats to employing “lopats” or “nopats”.

Instead of offering a full package of expat benefits, some companies have moved to offering lower level – “lopat” -benefits that may only include support for housing or children’s schooling. An increasing number of companies are now offering only “nopat” terms whereby foreign employees receive the same compensation as Singaporeans and have no expatriate benefits.

One headhunter reiterated this trend, saying his US and European clients are specifically requesting that he first look for candidates willing to accept local rather than expatriate packages, even at senior levels. Global hiring freezes by some multinationals have also meant that the pool of expat jobs is also shrinking.

Another reason for the shift away from expat benefits is that more people in New York or London and other hard-hit markets are turning to Asia for jobs. Search firms, companies and career offices at universities are being flooded with resumes from talented people wanting to work in Singapore even on local terms, just so they can have a job. When companies receive this many resumes from people abroad willing to relocate on local terms, there’s little reason to offer expat packages.

Added to that, companies are able to find more local employees with the right skills. This abundance of local talent also makes it harder to justify paying more for expatriates.

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One manager at a multinational company estimated that it would cost him three times more to bring in an American from the head office as it would to hire someone locally.

Even though the American might have valuable skills and head-office knowledge, the hiring of one or two well-qualified Singaporeans at a lower cost seemed preferable to importing one expensive expatriate.

All these changes don’t mean that the days of high-level expat packages are over. Search firms say they still expect top management at the president or managing-director level to be offered expatriate packages. There is still a shortage of top company leaders, said Mr Charles Moore of search firm Heidrick & Struggles, so these executives can continue to expect generous packages.

Companies will also need to dangle expat benefits to lure staff with specialised skills in still-growing economic sectors. Increasingly, though, all but staff at the very top levels or with highly specialised skills seem likely to become nopats or at most lopats, on a package with only limited benefits.

The existing expats, too, are likely to remain on their current packages as the changes primarily affect new hires. However, some companies are renegotiating packages downwards, though, according to Mr Moore.

While high rentals continue to cause more expats to move from District 10 to outlying areas when they renew their leases, and they now fly home in economy rather than business class, companies seem reluctant to eliminate packages entirely for their current staff.

To wit, international schools still have waitlists, even if they’re shorter; and clubs report that they’ve seen little drop in membership so far.

While these patterns could change if the economic downturn deepens, the full effects of the reductions in expat packages are likely to become visible only over the next two or three years.

As more new staff below the very top levels are offered local terms and more staff who want to stay on after the end of their initial assignment are only given a choice of staying on a local package or returning home, the number of expats looks set to drop.

So, while expat packages are far from totally redundant, expect to say “bye-bye expat” and “hello, nopat” more often.

The writer is a consultant who has lived in Singapore since 1992.

Source : Today – 29 Nov 2008

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The latest Cost of Living survey by consultancy firm ECA International shows that Singapore has leapt 17 places in ranking this year.

The city-state is now ranked 13, trailing behind cities such as Beijing, Taipei and Shanghai.

Higher food and fuel prices are among the reasons for the jump.

Tokyo tops the list as the most expensive Asian city for expatriates, followed by Yokohama and Seoul.

ECA’s Cost of Living survey is carried out twice a year, comparing a basket of more than 120 consumer goods and services commonly bought by expatriates in over 370 locations worldwide. – CNA/ac

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 11 Jun 2008

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This is according to a recent survey by ECA International, a global human resources organisation.

Singapore has maintained the top spot for ten years now but regionally, it is getting tough competition from Japan and even Hong Kong.

The survey found that Singapore’s infrastructure, low crime rate and lack of social and political tensions were the main factors behind its draw.

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“For us, it’s very peaceful and we don’t feel any hassle or difficulties. So I think for us it’s the best place,” said an expatriate.

“Growth is planned. That’s one of the reasons we feel we have more value for money here,” said another.

But there are some factors that Singapore needs to address if it wishes to remain at the top spot.

Firstly, it has to counter the haze issue caused by forest fires in neighbouring countries.

It also has to make sure that property and rental prices are affordable for Asian expats.

“It’s pretty good to work here and earn money but not for retirement,” said an expat.

“It’s not like Australia is any worse than Singapore, so I would say it’s personal choice at the end of the day,” said another.

Sydney came in second in the rankings, while Melbourne and Kobe tied in third place.

Hong Kong went up the rankings by eight spots to reach the 15th position this year.

Most Chinese cities, like Beijing, while they are not in the top 100, they have risen quite rapidly in the rankings over the last five years.

But this progress may soon plateau. Lee Quane, ECA International’s general manager in Hong Kong, explained: “Pollution levels in mainland Chinese cities are consistently high….the highest among the cities which we include in our rankings.”

Air quality is one factor considered in the rankings. – CNA/ir

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 4 Mar 2008

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Sydney was rated second in the survey, with third spot shared by Melbourne and Kobe in Japan, the human resources firm said.

Rounding out the top 10 list for Asian expatriates was Copenhagen in fifth spot, followed by Canberra and Vancouver. Wellington and Yokohama shared eighth spot, with Dublin next.

ECA said Singapore, Southeast Asia’s most advanced economy, was also ranked above the other cities because it offered Asian expatriates a similar feel to their home countries.

“Since quality of living is relative to where someone comes from and to where they are going, our scores take into account the home and destination country,” said Lee Quane, ECA International’s general manager in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, Singapore’s long-running regional rival as a business hub, was ranked 15th in the global cities list, with the territory’s air pollution cited as a drawback.

Among Chinese cities, Shanghai was seen as the best place for top Asian professionals while Xian ranked as the worst location, according to the survey, which compared living standards in 254 locations worldwide.

Beijing, host of the 2008 Olympic Games in August, fared worse than other Chinese cities such as Nanjing and Tianjin because of its notorious air pollution, the survey showed.

ECA International’s annual survey is based on categories such as climate, air quality, health services, housing, political tension and personal safety.

Within Asia, Hong Kong and Tokyo were ranked joint fourth behind Singapore, Kobe and Yokohama, the survey said.

Trailing in sixth spot was Taipei, followed by Macau and Bangkok, with Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown cities sharing ninth spot while Shanghai and Seoul were in 11th and 12th places, respectively.

Brunei’s Bandar Seri Begawan was in 13th place in Asia and 89th place globally.

Manila was ranked 24th in Asia and 133 globally, while Jakarta was in 39th place regionally and 190th worldwide.

Chennai was the highest ranked Indian city within Asia, in 26th spot, with Mumbai in 30th and New Delhi 37th. – AFP/ir

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 4 Mar 2008

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It’s not just the local education system that’s attracting them here.

There has been a small but growing number of students who are coming to Singapore, specifically to enroll in international schools.

Students at the Singapore Korean School

Weekend classes at the Singapore Korean School have become the only time where many of the students learn the Korean language.

They are among an estimated 6,500 Korean students enrolled in international and government schools here, where English is the medium of instruction.

Han Jae Hyung and Kang Dong Hyun came to Singapore last year and are now studying at the Global Indian International School.

“India has develop(ed) very fast and many countries looking to India. We want (to know about) the Indian culture and we want to make friends with Indian students,” said Han.

“I can learn Chinese, English and so many languages in this country,” said Kang.

Both Han and Kang plan to study at a university in Singapore.

But some of their classmates hope to move to the West once they have mastered English.

Many Koreans said they are attracted to Singapore’s cultural and geographical proximity – a familiarity that has grown in the last decade.

“10 years ago when I went back to Korea, my friends asked me Singaporeans use what language. Now, almost all Koreans know Singapore, so they think Singapore is a very safe country. Security, education, everything here is very good,” said Chun Kyung Ok, who sent both her children to schools in Singapore.

Chun’s son, Michael, is a Primary Six student at East Coast Primary. He is the second child in his family to study in Singapore.

His sister also attended a local school when the family lived here 10 years ago.

Chun said she chose Singapore for its strong national curriculum and bilingual education system.

Currently, the Korean School only has room for 100 primary-level students, and there have been increasing calls by the Korean community to expand.

So from 2010, the school will offer an international secondary school curriculum – the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).

It will also relocate to a bigger campus which can accommodate up to 500 students. – CNA /ls

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 11 Feb 2008

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