Tired expatriates begin to move away from Singapore

Tom Meredith had just arrived in London after more than a year away when Singapore revoked the re-entry pass he needed to return home with his wife and six-year-old twins.

What should have been a brief business trip in May suddenly had no return date, forcing Meredith to shuffle between the homes of family and friends in the UK for weeks.

“I was pretty heartbroken,” the tax consultant said. “You get into this clash being away from the family. . . It can be an additional two weeks, two months, four months. You feel completely powerless. “

Meredith was just one of many expatriates locked out of Singapore when the city-state imposed strict travel curbs as new clusters with aggressive variants of the Covid-19 emerged.

For some foreign professionals, the restriction turned out to be a breaking point. Frustration over travel restrictions, vaccinations, and perhaps more surprisingly, fears about jobs have caused expats to leave the island for their home countries or other financial centers, such as Dubai. .

Uncertainty about when the restrictions “would come and go and not know what your life will be like in the coming months” contributed to the decision of a 31-year-old management consultant to return to Portugal.

Expatriates under the age of 40 were at the end of the vaccination queue, and Singaporeans aged 12 to 39 had priority to book a punch for nearly three weeks. Reservations were opened last week for people who were not from Singapore.

“It’s just one of the many ways Singapore has shown that it is not very friendly with expats and that they will always prioritize their own citizens over foreigners,” said the consultant, who wanted to remain anonymous.

A struggle to find work has also provoked the anxiety of expats. “If you are fired and you are a senior director, it is very difficult to find something for an EP [employment pass holder, who earns at least S$4,500 ($3,340) per month]Richard Aldridge told Black Swan Group, a financial services recruiter.

“You have to be very flexible in what you want to stay here.”

Labor professionals’ labor difficulties coincide with Singapore’s push to reduce its dependence on foreign labor after a Covid-19 outbreak last year scraped through crowded dormitory homes migrant workers. Workers, who are essential to industries such as construction, account for nearly 90% of the number of cases in the city state.

Josephine Teo, the then Minister of Labor, In March he called on companies to “strengthen their Singapore core”. Last year, Singapore doubled the qualifying salary for employment steps.

Although EP headlines accounted for a quarter of Black Swan’s locations in Singapore in 2019, the number in 2021 has been reduced to zero. “The EP is almost toxic. People with EP are not looking at each other initially. . . They are on their backs for two to three months, ”said Aldridge.

Authorities said they re-imposed restrictions in May to prevent major outbreaks. The ministry of trade and industry said it recognized “the impact of border measures on everyone, particularly those who need to travel on business or reunite with family,” and added that it would work with those affected.

Restrictions relax after the fall of infections. But until next week, the gatherings will be limited to five people and only two patrons will be allowed to dine together. Music is not allowed in restaurants to prevent people from speaking out loud, which authorities say could help spread Covid.

Official statistics on expats not renewing their visas are hard to come by, but Adam Sloan, managing director of moving company Santa Fe Relocation, said people leaving Singapore were superior to those arriving.

“We are fully operational. We’re doing everything we can to find additional spaces and spaces to pack, ”Sloan said. The daily number of families Santa Fe moved from 20 last year to 30-30 in June, he said.

However, some expatriates are still moving to the city-state, including Hong Kong, which has been shaken by protests, school closures and China’s imposition of a harsh national security law.

A Hong Kong executive who made the move said that “from a career perspective, Singapore is much more attractive than Hong Kong. And, obviously, it is safe, convenient, more affordable and a more international city ”.

Another attraction is Singapore’s efforts to develop a coronavirus exit strategy.

Once it has fully vaccinated at least half of its 5.7 million population, a target that should be reached by the end of the month, Singapore can allow social gatherings to be expanded to eight people and inoculated residents attend live performances and sports competitions with a wider audience. With more than 3.7 million people receiving a first dose and a second 2.2m shot, it also plans to take “progressive steps” to ease travel restrictions.

Meredith finally returned to Singapore last week. But his family has considered whether they should “continue” in the city-state. In recent months, five friends and their families have left. For now, though, he’s “very, very happy to be home.”