Survey ranks Singapore as best place to live for Asian expats

Channel NewsAsia 4 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE - Singapore is the best city in the world for Asian expatriates to live in due mainly to its quality of life and low crime rate, a survey released Tuesday by ECA International showed.

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

Never mind rising rentals, they want order
Tan Hui Leng, Today Online 5 mar 08;

EVEN as skyrocketing rentals, other rising costs and the competition for places in international schools have raised concerns about whether Singapore is losing its attractiveness to expatriate talent, one survey has laid such fears to rest — at least where Asian expats are concerned.

According to the survey by United Kingdom-based human resource consultancy ECA International of living standards in 254 international locations, Asian expats ranked Singapore as the best place to live. Hong Kong ranked 15th.

The annual survey is based on categories such as climate, air quality, health services, housing, political tensions and personal safety. ECA International general manager Lee Quane said the survey helps firms decide if they should pay a hardship allowance "to encourage employees to move to a location".

Last year, another survey by Watson Wyatt showed that most foreigners got the same wages as their Singapore counterparts, as companies do not see the need to pay employees a premium to work here.

The overwhelming appeal of Singapore it seems, lies in its "orderliness".

"I worked in Malaysia for 12 years but chose to come here to set up my business because everything here is systematic and proper," said Indian Sunil Francis, 35, who holds an Employment Pass for entrepreneurs.

Singapore International Chamber of Commerce executive director Phillip Overmeyer told Today the merits of Singapore as cited in the ECA survey confirms what the chamber has been hearing from its members.

But Mr Quane said that while Singapore scored well in most categories, expats are concerned about the deterioration in air quality and rising property prices.

Indeed, Mr Francis said he had to give up renting a HDB master bedroom when the monthly rental rose from $450 to $800 last year. He now stays with a relative.

Both Mr Quane and Mr Overmeyer also noted the shortage of places in international school places, a crucial consideration for many expat parents.

Mr Quane added: "In news and media, we regard Hong Kong as much freer and fairer than in Singapore." But Mr Overmeyer said while people miss the "excitement" of political debate, this is not of concern to expats as they cannot vote here. Also, the Government here is equated with security and stability.

Singapore is most liveable city in Asia
Europeans and Americans view country as best in region while Asians say it is world's top spot
Grace Ng, Straits Times 5 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE has hit another home run with expatriates - Europeans and Americans reckon it is the best place in Asia to live, while Asians say it is the top spot anywhere in the world.

The annual survey, which has a major influence on luring foreign talent, compares living standards in 254 locations across the globe.

For the sixth straight year, Asian expatriates have named Singapore as the best city worldwide for quality of life.

Its fine infrastructure and health facilities, cosmopolitan population, and low health risks and crime rates scored the Republic plenty of points among those surveyed, according to the poll by human resources consultancy ECA International.

Singapore trumped the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne, which were ranked the second and third most attractive places worldwide for Asians to call home.

Europeans and Americans were also sold on Singapore, ranking it as their preferred choice in Asia, although on a global scale, they opted for Copenhagen. The Danish capital also ranked as the fifth best place worldwide for Asians to live in.

About 1,500 companies globally buy the report, so the ranking can greatly influence hiring policies.

ECA recommends that companies do not need to pay any 'hardship' allowances to their workers assigned to Singapore. This allowance, which can comprise up to 30 per cent of an expat's salary, is paid to workers in countries where the standard of living is lower than in their home base.

The more comfortable the location, the lower the allowance and Singapore's is set at zero.

However, there were some negatives this year with scores for air quality in Singapore hit by the smoke haze.

The Republic's score for availability of quality accommodation also declined slightly, primarily due to the collective sale fever which has 'reduced the supply of decent-standard accommodation in Singapore, irrespective of cost', said Mr Lee Quane, ECA International's general manager.

This narrowed the gap between Singapore and other locations such as Hong Kong, which jumped eight places in the rankings to No. 4 on the list of Asian cities with the best quality of life for Asians.

Hong Kong's scores improved, thanks to significantly better scores for personal security.

Mr P.Maran, an Indian national in his 40s working for a technology multinational firm here, said Singapore was 'by far the best place for Asians to live as it is safe, clean and is closer to home than other locations such as Australia'.

But he noted that the cost of such high-quality living comes at a price. 'The cost of everything from rental to transport to children's education is shooting up,' he said.

While this survey did not rank Singapore in terms of cost of living, an ECA study last November showed that the Republic rose 10 places in a global survey of the most expensive places for expatriates to live.

But despite the jump, Singapore, at No. 122, is still significantly cheaper for expats than Hong Kong and other key global centres, such as London - at No. 10.