Why the world’s software engineers are moving to Singapore

30 Oct 2019 7 min read

After exploring why entrepreneurs, tech firms, and founders are moving to Singapore, here’s why engineering talents want to be in the heart of Asia.

Over the past few years, some of the biggest technology companies have made Singapore a key node in its operations. Social media giant Facebook is opening its first S$1.38 billion (US$1 billion) Asian data centre while Google’s third data centre for their next billion users is on the cards.

Southeast Asia’s own unicorns have also made Singapore their staging ground to grow their operations. Grab, the region’s largest ride-hailing platform, decided to relocate its headquarters to Singapore in 2014. E-commerce giant Lazada also chose Singapore as its group’s headquarters.

The common reason why the tech giants are turning to Singapore? Great talent, says Mr Lionel Wong, senior tech recruiter at Indeed.com, one of the largest job portals in the world. “If you look at Indonesian startups, you’ll realise they're building their engineering centres in Singapore. Big Indonesia unicorns base their tech teams here. The senior software engineers are being hired here. They see the talent here.”

So why is tech talent moving in droves to Singapore? The biggest reason of them all: abundant opportunities in tech.

Jobs, jobs and jobs

“There’s a huge demand for software engineering talent here,” says Mr Wong. Candidates are constantly being sourced locally and from abroad.

Some 50,000 ICT jobs are expected to be created in Singapore in the next few years, adding to the pool of some 180,000 ICT professionals currently hired here; and many of these jobs will be created by some of the biggest tech giants in the world.

Some of the biggest Silicon Valley giants, including Amazon, Apple, Dell, and Visa, are hiring in Singapore.

Glassdoor noted in a 2019 report that there were 5,806 tech-related positions available in Singapore as of November 2018. Some of the biggest Silicon Valley giants, including Amazon, Apple, Dell, and Visa, are hiring in Singapore.

A big part of the surge in demand for talent is simply because technology companies, big and small, are using Singapore as a launch pad for the region. “If you’re talking about launching products across Southeast Asia, Singapore is the best place to do so,” says Mr Wong.

Real estate company Colliers International noted that Singapore was only second to Bangalore for companies looking to establish and expand their operations in Asia.

“As Singapore continues to transform into an innovation-led, high-tech economy, it will remain a compelling business destination for global technology firms,” notes Ms Tricia Song, Colliers’ head of research in Singapore.

The country’s Smart Nation push is helping to push the frontiers on a number of new technologies. Supporting this vision is a growing eco-system of MNCs, SMEs, government agencies and universities all attuned to the latest in developments in technological research.

For example, Alibaba, one of China’s richest company, recently launched a talent programme with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to support their research and development efforts here and in China.

It is thus of little surprise that real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle ranked Singapore as the top foreign investment destination for Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent.

n 2019, Internet search giant Baidu launched its cloud computing services in Singapore – Southeast Asia’s biggest information technology market – in a move to catch up with Chinese rivals Alibaba and Tencent

For startups, Singapore has become a major powerhouse. There are now over 220 venture capital deals per year in Singapore, worth close to S$5.7 billion (US$4.2 billion), up from S$184 million (US$136 million) in 2012, noted Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in the recent Budget speech. Today, more than 150 global venture capital funds, incubators, and accelerators are based in Singapore, supporting startups here and in the region.

As more companies establish their operations in Singapore, the demand for tech jobs will continue to balloon – both in terms of quantity and quality. This in turn creates a virtuous cycle of attracting more companies, which creates jobs that attract talent.

The best and brightest will move to wherever they feel will provide them with the best job satisfaction and quality of life.

“Tech leaders who want to come to Singapore will enjoy the type of career growth opportunities here. With the influx of startups and tech product companies here, they'll get to work on interesting stuff,” says Mr Wong.

Mr Wong notes that engineering talent is mobile and fluid. The best and brightest will move to wherever they feel will provide them with the best job satisfaction and quality of life, where they will have greater access to opportunities that allow them to work with cutting-edge research or technology, while living in a country that is serious about tech and the digital life.

And while Singapore may be a bit pricier to live with compared to other countries, the simple fact is that the benefits outweigh the costs, he adds.

“It’s costlier to live in Singapore but let’s be clear. Good technical talent is fluid and getting moved all over the world. Software engineer salaries and data scientist salaries in Singapore, Indonesia, and China have gone through the roof. The cost of hiring good talent catches up with you regardless of geography.”

The softer side of the island

Apart from offering talent the opportunities to grow their professional careers, Singapore’s softer side is what differentiates the Republic from its competitors.

Singapore’s political stability has long been cited as a big reason why companies find it easy to move their operations here.

For many talented individuals, having a clean, safe, and stable environment also factors into their considerations.

This is especially true if they are looking to start families or raise children. Singapore’s education system has been held as an example for other countries to follow. In the IMD World Talent Ranking report 2018, Singapore ranks highly for its education system, and is top in the world in a PISA education assessment of 15-year olds – a big plus for parents.

The IMD study also crowned Singapore as Asia’s top destination for talent, and scored global second in the availability of skills and competencies in the talent pool – a testament to why talent is eager to move to the Republic.

Singapore was also ranked first in Asia Pacific and second worldwide for attracting and developing talent, in the 2019 Global Talent Competitiveness Index.

“It’s easy to come here and live here. It’s painless. There’s no real obstacle or mental obstacle for people to come to Singapore besides the usual worries about moving their family,” says Mr Wong.

Get started: Building your engineering team

Wondering where to start? Besides international job portals like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed.com, here are other platforms that companies can tap for their tech talent needs:

Global agencies with a tech focus	Morgan McKinley: The professional services recruitment consultancy connects specialist talent with employers across industries and disciplines. Tech is one of the firm’s focus areas in Singapore. Salt: Salt is a global digital recruitment agency specialising in Creative, Marketing, Sales and Technology sectors.
Job portals with an Asia focus	JobStreet: Founded in Malaysia in 1997, it is one of Asia’s leading employment marketplace and one of Singapore’s top job portal. Tech in Asia Jobs: The job portal of Asia’s largest English language technology-focused news site. As of 2019, the platform has over 4,000 job listings from Asia’s tech companies. Startup Jobs Asia: With a strong focus on startups, the platform aims to match companies with job seekers who will thrive in a growing business environment. It focuses on jobs in Singapore and Asia.
Boutique recruitment agencies/startups	Wantedly: The platform focuses on matching people and companies based on passions and values, rather than salary and benefits. Glints Jobs: A platform specially targeted at young people in Asia, the firm focuses on matching young adults to internship and permanent employment opportunities. Kaishi: Initially set up to meet the recruitment demands of the early stage investment and tech community in Singapore, Kaishi now has clients across China, Europe, and North America.