Singapore Says It Needs Foreign Tech Talent and `Fun' Education
bloomberg.com
bloomberg.com
Many countries want the cultural cachet and revenue potential that are historically associated with big investments in basic science. But smaller countries (meaning anything smaller than, say, Germany or S Korea) are going to have a hard time justifying the massive spending without clear economic outputs.
I think this applies equally to nascent tech sectors, like AI – maybe even more so for big data-intensive fields like AI. What does being based in Singapore have to offer an AI researcher compared to being in a major US or PRC city? Granted, the SE Asia location with a good hub airport is nice, but is there some advantage to your work from being geographically present in a city-state of ~5 million people? The odds are that this proposition appeals mainly to people who are 1) from the developing world, 2) who have a hard time competing in the developed world (for whatever reason), or 3) very senior scientists looking to pad their retirement income through highly paid advisory work.
All this can be well and good for people who go in with the clear intent to leave within 3–5 years. But some people find themselves wanting to stay, and once the funds for their chosen field of endeavor dry up due to the short attention spans associated with bureaucratic funding commitments, they may find that the welcome has worn out uncomfortably quickly.
I'm curious, what are some of the other burgeoning tech hubs competing against Singapore?
Plus, with AirAsia flights its easy to hop over to Vietnam, Thailand, or elsewhere for weekend vacation.
1. Drug laws are harsh in Southeast Asia, but Singapore is the only place you don’t have to worry about bribery. It’s probably the only country in Southeast Asia where you can’t bribe anyone.
It’s places like Bali where cops plant drugs on tourists or sell drugs to tourists to arrest them later to get cash from them.
But if that really scares you, avoid Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia - it’s a safer bet in Singapore.
2. Canning isn’t a common occurance. I would be more afraid to be Black in America than being canned in Singapore.
Its only in Western Europe, Australia, and Canada where I would feel safe (as a citizen only) to openly challenge the gov't. The rest sounds iffy.
If that's your criteria of countries you'd visit or live in - then I respect that. But you'll be within only a tiny slice of humanity.
Singapore has a population of 5.6 million and each year about 2 people are executed for drug offences and about 12 people are murdered.
In the US for each 5.6 million people about 270 are murdered each year.
There are plenty of other risks to consider but I think you are probably safer in Singapore.
Why should I move to Singapore from Hong Kong? Do they help me setup my business? Do I get tax breaks? Incentives to OJT workers? How about bringing in foreign workers? Reduced office space? Non censored media?
Can't say I'm all that convinced, if anything I want to move to the mainland so I can live in something bigger than a closet.
There has been plenty of discussions if Singapore needs a "hinterland" to survive and if Johor can be that hinterland. I'm leaning yes on that camp, but I'd like to hear counter points.
That said, Singapore has some of the best cocktail bars in the world (they can keep up with New York & London), lively museum scene, incredible amount of parks and outdoor areas, etc.
When I lived in Singapore, we BBQ'd in a different park by the water every weekend and if we weren't eating, we were trekking around the different parks and nature reserves.
Stay away from CBD - like most Singaporeans do - and you'll find lots to do. That said, yes, its not as wild as Jakarta or Bangkok.