Thoughts on Singaporeans Migrating

(Image by kwerfeldein)

A few days back, I wrote some thoughts about the Grass being Greener on the Other Side. In it, I touched upon some reasons why people often have ideas or thoughts that the grass is greener on the other side.

Today, I was interested to find out how many Singaporeans actually felt that the grass is greener on the other side and it made me realise that this could be quite a prevalent thought amongst Singaporeans. The reason for this is the number of people migrating or leaving Singapore's shores for "greener pastures" elsewhere.

I saw this old thread over at Stomp and am summarizing it here for your benefit. If you are interested in looking at the thread, you can view it here.

1. Over 10 years, 97,990 Singaporeans left the shores of Singapore and applied for permanent residency elsewhere. This figures do not include children but include students going overseas for studies and businessmen.

2. In a survey, two-thirds of participants said that they have considered retiring in other countries due to the slower pace of life and lower cost of living.

3. Australia and New Zealand feature high on the Singaporean's migration destination list.

Anway, it seems astounding that while foreigners are flocking to Singapore, Singaporeans themselves are trying to get out! Of course, the survey results could be pretty skewed and perhaps some of the Singaporeans do intend to come back after sometime. I guess it is also good in terms of Singapore's globalisation efforts.

But nevertheless, being such a small country, every single person counts. Wouldn't it be good if we managed to stop the outflow of Singaporeans to other countries? What are some of the things that need to be changed in Singapore to help it retain its people?

Suggestions to Stop Singaporeans from Migrating
First of all, I must qualify that I am not a policy maker and these are just some suggestions that I have gathered from viewing various forums. The ideas expressed are not mine.

1. Slow down the pace of life.
2. Reduce the cost of living for Singaporeans
3. Make Singapore more EXCITING
4. More free speech
5. Focus less on foreign talent
6. Improve the education system

I must still say that I do not understand why people want to leave when the tax rates here are so much more favorable compared to other countries. Yes, of course with the same amount of money you can buy a bigger car and bigger house overseas...so that perhaps tilts the equation back..