Chen Lin and Aradhana Ravindan

SINGAPORE, Reuters – Atar Sandersler moved to Singapore in 2019 to take advantage of the chance to live and work in a vibrant global metropolis that can also be a base for more remote destinations.

The two-year-old Israeli woman resources specialist, who had been mask-wearing for the past two years, and having to socialize in small groups with other people, as well as travel restrictions to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, left her behind and moved on to New York this month, along with her husband, children, and her family.

It’s been this way for so many years. Sandler said that it does not feel like there will be any changes. It’s very simple here. It is worth the sacrifice to be able travel and see loved ones.

Singapore’s risk-averse population is trying to manage its living conditions with COVID. The goal of the program is to prevent the spread of the disease to the inhabitants and restore the country’s reputation as a capital- and talent-rich hub.

Expats and companies have been attracted to this country for many years. It is a safe place with high standards of living and political stability. There are also skilled workers, easy travel, and low taxes.

COVID, however, has caused soul-searching in Singapore’s relatively wealthy expats. In Singapore where foreigners make up half of the population of 5.5 million people, COVID is a catalyst for them to reevaluate their lives.

Some people liken its COVID strict rules to more freedom at home and others complain that they are unable to travel free to see their family. Other folks have joined the worldwide “great resignation wave”.

Sandler said it was devastating that her child gave birth in the middle of an outbreak, meaning her family would not be able to see her second child for one year.

Singapore continues to attract foreign talent and investment during the pandemic. However, the population dropped by most of 1950. It was 4.1% less year-on–year in June 2021.

It is mostly because there are fewer low-wage workers in the construction and marine service industries.

The number of employees who have been granted employment passes, which means they are professionals making at least S$4,500 per month, has fallen nearly 14% between December 2019, when 193,700, and June 20,21, when it was 166,000.

The expatriate experience is by its nature transient. Many left due to companies cutting costs and reducing jobs. Businesses were not able to easily replace foreign workers when border restrictions prevented them from importing replacements.

Filipina Naya Santos worked as a city-state worker for over a decade and was married to a British man. However, the pandemic provided the motivation to relocate from Singapore (a small urban island that has no hinterland) to the English countryside to be closer to their families.

Santos said, “Even though it was a good job, it was very stressful and demanding.” We didn’t desire that lifestyle any more.

Chris Anderson from Hong Kong moved to Singapore in 2019, and has since returned home to the United States for a job at a technology start-up. He was perturbed by rules last year that restricted foreigners from returning https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/expats-wait-anxiously-singapore-weighs-covid-19-reopening-2021-08-05 to the city-state despite being residents.

Anderson explained that when you leave the country it is not an option to go back in. That should always be at your back, Anderson added.

TRICKLE FROM HONG KINGONG

Still, Singapore has been making it easier for travellers to enter and is looking more attractive to expatriates living in rival financial centre Hong Kong https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/hong-kongs-financial-sector-faces-talent-crunch-expats-head-exit-2022-01-23, which has far stiffer rules due to its zero-COVID strategy.

There has been a “trickle” of movement from Hong Kong https://www.ft.com/content/a2f645e8-d093-4d93-94fb-23f3cb690bd7 into Singapore, said Lee Quane, regional director at relocation firm ECA International. He expects expatriate outflows from Singapore to outpace inflows through 2022, citing tighter foreign worker policies and wariness over potential curbs https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-freeze-new-ticket-sales-quarantine-free-travel-2021-12-22 due to virus variants.

According to the last week’s written answer to Parliamentary Questions, the net fall in non-resident worker population slowed down in 2021. There was however a modest net increase in November.

Except for unforeseen situations, the government has reiterated the importance to keep the doors open and expects that it will “keep the course” with the calibrated easement of border restrictions.

It stated that the government “works hard to ensure businesses and individuals continue choosing Singapore due to our openness and rule of law and consistency in policy.”

Hsien Hsien Lei is the chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce Singapore. According to Hsien Hsien Lei: “Companies continue to recruit key talent” and are approved for work passes. Things aren’t always perfect. Lei said that Singapore is, relative to other places, a wonderful place to live in and do business.

($1 = 1.3433 Singapore dollars)