S'pore is 4th most Desirable place to live & work: survey By Linette Lim | Posted: 02 May 2012 1431 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore has moved up two spots to become the fourth most desirable place in the world to live and work, according to a survey by recruitment firm Hydrogen and business school ESCP Europe.

This is because Singapore has become an increasingly popular destination for multinational corporations over the past few years, said Hydrogen.

"We have seen companies from sectors as diverse as technology, energy, pharmaceutical and wealth management open offices here. The big question here is whether Singapore will become Asia's Silicon Valley or its Switzerland," said Simon Walker, Hydrogen's Asia MD.

While the three most popular places for survey respondents to live and work remain the US, the UK and Australia, their dominance is waning.

The report showed that 12 per cent picked the US as the top relocation destination, down from 18 per cent last year.

The UK and Australia each got 9 per cent of the votes, down from 10 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

As Singapore becomes an increasingly attractive relocation destination for expatriates, Hydrogen said employers in the city state are finding that they have the pick of the world's top professional talent.

Mr Walker said: "Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and it offers a clean and healthy environment free from traffic pollution.

"So it is not surprising that 88 per cent of those who have moved to Singapore feel that their living conditions have improved."

The report - which interviewed 2,353 people globally - also showed that the workforce was getting more internationalised. For example, 72 per cent of respondents said their employers see international experience as important or very important, up from 63 per cent in 2011.