Singapore may be the smallest country in Southeast Asia, but it beats most of its neighbours in many areas, from economic productivity and infrastructure development to technological advancement and quality of life. In the recent Worldwide Quality of Living survey conducted by an American-based asset management firm, the Lion City was ranked as the top city in the Asia Pacific with the highest quality of living, outranking several cities in Japan like Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya, as well as other top Asian cities like Hong Kong, and Seoul. This accolade reflects what Singapore residents experience daily—top-notch healthcare, low crime rates, an excellent education system, and superior recreation and transportation options.
Besides being one of the world’s top cities in terms of quality of life, another thing that sets Singapore apart from most other countries is its commitment to ensuring that its citizens remain competitive and equipped to handle the demands of the changing world. The city-state has systems and policies in place to support and help citizens get ahead and achieve their career goals.
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Whether you want to start your own business, develop new skills, or climb the career ladder, Singapore is arguably the best place in all of Asia to fulfil all of your professional goals. Here are several reasons why.
The Government Provides Support Programs for Continuous Learning, Reskilling, and Upskilling
While practically all Asian countries acknowledge the significance of lifelong learning to help their people become more resilient and adaptable to the needs of a world steeped in ever-advancing technologies, very few are taking substantial steps to make this happen as Singapore. If you live outside the city-state, you may need to invest money and create your own opportunities to upgrade or learn new skills. But in Singapore, the government ensures easy access to relevant resources and programmes for continuous learning, reskilling, and upskilling so you can thrive in various work environments.
One of the best-known professional development programmes in the city-state is the SkillsFuture Series, which offers SkillsFuture courses Singapore citizens can take to either gain a basic understanding or mastery in emerging areas, such as digital media, entrepreneurship, and tech-enabled services. Besides self-development, taking these courses can help expand your employment opportunities and boost your earnings and chances of professional success. Best of all, you can enjoy a SGD 500 direct subsidy to enrol in a SkillsFuture course if you are a citizen over the age of 25 through the SkillsFuture Credit programme.
Singapore Offers a Business Climate that Is Conducive to Success
According to a study by a Dutch multinational human resource consulting firm, more than 40% of employees in Singapore are considering leaving their jobs to start their own businesses. If you have the same intention, there is a high chance that you will attain your professional goal in the city-state as it offers a favourable environment for entrepreneurs. Unlike in many other countries where you have to jump through hoops before you can start a venture, Singapore consistently ranks high in international rankings for ease of doing business.
Aside from having easy-to-follow and pro-business laws and policies, the Singapore government offers more than a hundred schemes to assist and support entrepreneurs. Whether you’re looking for funding support, capability- and skills-building programmes, tax incentives, or other relevant assistance schemes, the government has something to give you. Just explore the Singapore government website GoBusiness to connect with appropriate government services, access resources, and receive personalized assistance to start and grow your business.
Singapore Invests Heavily in Human Capital
Being a small country with practically no natural resources, Singapore invests heavily in improving and developing its sole asset—human resources. Human resource development is so important for the country that it has always been an integral element in Singapore’s economic plans. No wonder the city-state ranks second in Asia and eleventh in the world for talent competitiveness.
Because the Singapore government prioritizes continuous human capital development, you have a better chance of succeeding in your chosen profession, finding careers that suit your capabilities, or reaching your fullest potential in the city-state than in most countries in the world. If you ever doubt Singapore’s commitment to building your expertise and competencies, try to see the many programmes available, from training grants and study opportunities to employment support and career counselling. According to the Ministry of Finance, the Singapore government spent SGD 1 billion annually from 2015 to 2020 on continuing education and workforce training alone.
Singapore Is Willing to Introduce Innovative Policies to Adapt to the Times
Singapore understands from the get-go that staying globally competitive requires the ability to read signals of change and act appropriately and quickly to adapt to these changes. This is among the city-state’s primary strengths. Instead of being content with its achievements and successes, Singapore continues to formulate innovative policies to provide necessary opportunities for citizens to remain relevant and stay ahead of the curve.
As you analyse the reasons above, you will notice that they are primarily anchored on levelling the playing field. The government ensures that support and assistance are always available to provide everyone with equal and fair opportunities to succeed—a legacy of its meritocratic governance. In essence, if you have the right attitude and willingness to exert time and effort, achieving professional success is more than possible in this dynamic country.
