I'm posting this because my inlaws are in SG (we're in NYC). The idea of moving there is appealing. I gave a talk at the SG python meetup in 2014 and the sentiment I got at the time was that the tech scene was pretty depressing. Low wages, competing with outsourcing firms, etc.. Has it changed? I'd like opinions from locals (not propaganda from the SG govt)
Very low tax rates especially for expats and expats tend to get paid 3-4 times the average in total comp and even more if they contract for the more “high end” roles, there are a lot of shady companies there especially in cyber security tho so some of these might have hidden risks.
That said unless you really and honestly like the South East Asian expat life style you wouldn’t last there long, it’s pretty hard to live a “normal” life there.
SG expat here. You're right the average salary is pretty low. I'm already on the higher end of SG salaries earning 120k USD.
Keep in mind that the tax rates are lower though.
Most expats I know work there under contract at least here in the UK I see a lot of £1200-2000 a day contracts for Singapore being advertised especially for security/fintech roles.
Unless you are being relocated you usually don’t want to work for a local firm unless you are contracting.
Last time I checked, the salaries for developers in Singapore didn't look competitive, especially when considering the high cost of living. Has this changed recently?
No, and it's unlikely to change given you have small armies of wannabe developers neighboring countries willing to work for a pittance and company owners that are too technically unsophisticated to know the difference. Hell, you can't even get a decent wage in London.
You'll get a better picture. Don't forget some of the most important questions can be:
- How much to buy/rent a house or apartment
- How much to buy a car (if you need one)
- What about tax consequences coming from overseas
or conversely not getting mugged on the street. Having lived in Singapore for a while there are trade-offs. I liked the feeling of safety I don't get in the west. I saw lots of fun times as well so to each their own.
I've been in the tech community in Asia for 5~ years and traveled a lot around the area including to Singapore. The engineers I've met definitely do not want to move to Singapore.
I lived in Singapore for over a year and was very happy to leave. Decent tech scene but very little else going on. I don't see myself living there in the foreseeable future.
I'm assuming they're trying to load balance the ticketing. I got my eticket a few days ago, booked to fly to Singapore next month. If you haven't gotten yours yet, give a few more days, then call support.
Facetiousness aside, the URL alone tells me I'm not wrong in thinking the title is propaganda.
