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I worked (and studied) in Singapore for a while. As an engineer for a tech company, you get paid very little compared to cost of living.

In my graduating class, most EE+CS folks I know who are still in Singapore became bankers, government employees or consultants. Most engineering talent left because the salaries were barely enough to pay rent.

Edit: spelling

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Things are changing quite a bit, especially in IT and Startup world. Engineers are being paid decent salaries, although not as much as the bankers, enough to live happily in Singapore.

Engineers get paid very little. My Singaporean brother-in-law thought I has lost my mind when I decided to become an Software Engineer after my last startup. No money in it in Singapore. The reason being that tons of Indians/non-Singaporean SE Asians come to Singapore and take any work they can get at any price. If you are an especially good engineer and prove your worth then this could be different but for the average engineer it's tough.

This trend is the same in countries where very few employments opportunities exist and graduates are not entrepreneurial minded. A standard in underdeveloped or developing countries.

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