5 Proven Strategies for Expats Seeking Work in Singapore

Women-at-the-workplace

Singapore is a country of migrants. The Migration Policy Institute estimates a net migration rate (into Singapore) of 4.26 per 1,000 in 2021. In other words, about four in every 1,000 Singaporeans is a new arrival to the country.

Singapore attracts people from all across the world and every level of the socioeconomic ladder, but its policies and employers are especially friendly to certain types of migrants. If you seek a fresh start or a career lift in one of the world’s most dynamic economies, here’s what you need to do to improve your chances of success.

  1. Confirm Your Initial Eligibility to Work in Singapore

Before getting ahead of yourself, confirm that you are provisionally eligible to work in Singapore. Use the self-assessment tool (SAT) from the Singapore Ministry of Manpower to determine which type of Singaporean work permit, if any, you are likely to qualify for. Keep in mind that positive SAT results do not guarantee employment eligibility in Singapore, as work permit availability is numerically limited and other factors not considered by the SAT may inform eligibility decisions.

  1. Sharpen Your Credentials

It is widely understood that Singapore is a meritocracy — that is, talented candidates with in-demand educational credentials and extensive industry experience are more likely to find work and thrive here. Ross Belhomme, a Switzerland-based executive retained to work as managing director at the Singapore office of Asiaciti Trust, is typical of the professional caliber that Singaporean authorities expect. That’s not to say that more junior expats are unlikely to find work in Singapore, only that credentialing is key.

  1. Consult an Employment Agency With Experience Placing Expats in Singapore

Depending on your level of seniority, a professional employment agency or executive placement firm might hasten your transition into the Singaporean workforce. Look for firms that have documented experience placing expats to work in the nation-state (and that are willing to provide references attesting to the same).

  1. Understand the Unique Aspects of Singaporean Business Culture Before Applying

Singaporean business culture blends some aspects of southeast Asian custom and some aspects of Western dealmaking to create a unique amalgam that may feel unfamiliar to those who’ve spent their careers elsewhere. Before applying for a position here, understand local business etiquette, negotiation style, dress, and other customs, knowledge of which will greatly improve your chances of securing a role.

  1. Abide by Government Registration Requirements (And Obtain and Maintain a Valid Work Visa)

Your role may require you to register with the Singaporean government. It will certainly require you to obtain and maintain a valid work visa throughout the duration of your employment here. These registration and visa requirements can be quite tricky, and missteps could jeopardize your ability to earn a living in a very expensive part of the world.

Opportunity Awaits You in Singapore

Singapore is arguably the most dynamic nation in the Asia-Pacific region. With so much competition, that’s really saying something.

If you’re fortunate enough to be relocating to Singapore with a confirmed offer of employment, you don’t need any of this advice. Do your very best in your new role and you’re likely to find success.

If you’re relocating to Singapore for a change of scenery or to seize the sorts of opportunities that appear available to other new-to-Singapore expats, you have more work to do. You need to ensure that you appeal to local employers and follow the letter of local employment law.

With effort, your campaign will pay off. Soon enough, perhaps, you’ll find yourself in a position to give advice to other new-to-Singapore professionals.

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Adapting with the Dynamics of the Forex Market

Forex is the largest liquid market in the world where people from all walks of life have equal opportunity to achieve their goals. Investors often explain that they are unable to make money even in excellent trading conditions which makes the general community wonder if they are doing something wrong. The conditions are important in currency trading as traders have to decide whether they want to invest or wait. In this article, we are going to describe some of the techniques used by professionals to assess the trading environment before the deposit. Remember, it is going to take time to analyze as Forex trends are volatile.

The market has money

The first condition in currency trading is to know whether the industry has money. Traders fail to understand that there can only be rewarded when the market has capital. The money is pulled from different individuals who have participated and awarded to the skilled investors. If the sector has no resources, wait until the industry can reward you. Novices always take the longest time to think when they are about to place an order. They understand the scenario and have grasped the concepts. Instead of spending money on volatile movements, experts only deposit when there is a certain chance to make a profit. Don’t be tempted by watching the trend of analyzing the chart which gives an expected result.

No important news has been released

Information can change the factors which ultimately affect the price of currency pairs. When important news is released in the market, the economy experiences changes. This affects the price movements and people lose their capital. An important stage of trading condition is to have consistent volatility which is not going to be affected by major news in the future. Small developments will keep on rocking but as long as they cannot affect the foreign exchange, you should prepare a strategy to trade the market. We have found that others don’t realize what they are doing until the sudden movement hits the balance. You should check for important news when you are planning to place an order.

The skilled traders in the ETF trading business always read financial news regularly. Even though they are certain that no high-impact news is scheduled for a particular period, still they love to pay attention to the minor details. Though it is not necessary still it is a great way to reduce the stress associated with fundamental analysis.

Suitable for analyzing the trends

The chart should be consistent and the price movements should be analyzed by the strategy used by an individual. An ideal condition should allow the investors to properly manage their funds with the right formula. If the environment seems out of this world, you cannot use the method. You should consider staying away. Conditions are variable that can change without informing. A potential environment can be analyzed and put into a frame of understanding. If the scenario seems confusing, don’t invest based on what you anticipate.

Are these all the conditions that I should be aware of?

Unfortunately, this industry is diverse and the regulations are not rigid. Every time they are changing and people should be aware of the latest news factor. For example, the coronavirus has changed the structure of the Forex industry. More people are getting rewards that are abnormal considering the past market condition. Yet more customers are participating in it to make money.

Can I not use my strategy?

A strategy is a tool that analyzes the chart. The conditions are analyzed with the help of a strategy but the luck is not in favor, there is no way a person can make money in Forex. Don’t confuse the two as each of them serves different purposes. When investors are making decisions, the market must be in their favor. If they use the best plan but the industry is not in favor, profit cannot be made. Understand the situations in the market and make your decisions.

 

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Korean Food Pairings To Try In Singapore

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food, Singapore

As Korean cuisine evolves over time due to cultural trends and environmental changes, one thing remains the same. Food has always played a significant part in their national identity. In fact, there are over 200 varieties of their globally known Kimchi (김치).

Let us take a look at the unique Korean food pairings that you can try in Singapore.

#1: CHIMAEK

Kicking off this list is a classic food combo that dates back in the ’70s. Chimaek (치맥) is one of the most popular option when dining out or when ordering in. It is a slang that combines 치 [chi] from 치킨 [chikin] or fried chicken as well as 맥 [maek] from 맥주 [maekju] or beer. Sounds like the perfect comfort food, right?

Chimaek’s popularity peaked during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup when many Koreans went to bars to watch the games and eat fried chicken with beer. Singaporeans may enjoy this combo by ordering at Korean eateries such as 아띠식당Ahtti.

#2: ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH KIMCHI

Roasted sweet potatoes (고구마) are commonly eaten as a winter snack by children and adults alike. Start by roasting your sweet potatoes in an oven or an air fryer. Once you are done, you can pair it with Kimchi. Put a generous of Kimchi on a slice of your sweet potato before taking a bite.

Indulge in the fusion of sweet, spicy, and sour flavors! Find authentic Kimchi and Korean sweet potatoes in local Korean marts such as Chorok Market.

Related Article: Top Places For Authentic Jjajangmyeon In Singapore (From S$7)

#3: KOREAN BBQ AND SOJU

The rich aroma of freshly grilled Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) wrapped in lettuce and Kimchi is gloriously delicious. Add a shot of Soju to improve your experience. Soju goes well with Korean BBQ because it washes away the greasiness of the meats. This allows you to reach out for your next piece.

What are you waiting for? You can either eat at a Korean BBQ place such as the Korean Fusion BBQ restaurants or order at foodpanda.

#4: SUBAK-SOJU OR WATERMELON SOJU

As the name suggests, Subak-soju (수박소주) combines the freshness of a watermelon and the distinct taste of soju. Fresh watermelon soju was trending before flavored sojus graced the stores. This combination is perfect for people who are newly introduced to soju and are eager to try sweet alcoholic drinks.

A bottle of soju is available at FairPrice for as low as S$9.90.

Begin by removing the contents of the watermelon. Measure 4 cups of blended watermelon juice. Put this in a pitcher. Then, add equal parts of soju and mix it well. Pour this mixture into a “watermelon bowl” and add ice cubes. Serve it cold and enjoy!

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How Can An SEO Agency Help Your Business Out

SEO-vs-SEM

You will have heard of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. It is very important that needs to be focused on. When it comes to the internet marketing industry, this can be rather ambiguous sometimes partly because of the ever-increasing amount of buzzwords as well as acronyms. It can be tough handling this. An SEO agency can help here. The following tells what SEO work involves allowing you to know what this agency may be able to do.

Handle on-page as well as off-page SEO

SEO agencies may talk about on-page and also off-page SEO. When looking at on-page SEO it deals with elements of the website which you possess direct control over, such as linking structures, the right use of header, formatting, etc.

Off-page SEO includes stuff link building, outreach, along with those things which you cannot directly handle via the website.

Usually, an overlap exists between both these concepts. An agency will look at this for you.

Considers technical SEO                             

The architecture of a website is referred to mostly as technical SEO. This encompasses stuff such as a clean linking structure, correct employment of header tags, carefully implemented 301 redirects, being mobile-friendly, the page load speed.

The elements mentioned are really basic and should be set up right allowing you to create your SEO strategy having a strong foundation. Some of them can be handled when an initial site audit occurs.

Pursue keyword research

Keyword research is important and has to be done correctly. It is the procedure of figuring out the top search queries to target for a particular business. It can seem like it is simple, but keyword research done right needs much work put into it. Certain factors are present which determine whether a precise keyword is good or not.

Good SEOs consider search volume, amount of competition, user intent, etc. when pursuing keyword research.

It is important to know which keywords are trending and how to add them properly.

Link building and outreach

This is a work-intensive part of SEO. A website’s reputation within Google’s eyes tends to be mostly based upon its backlink profile. The more good quality links from top websites which go to your website, then it is more likely that Google as well as other search engines will recommend your pages to users.

Different link-building strategies are present which most SEOs use. It includes pitching good quality content to other websites, letting your website be a part of reputable directories, making wonderful content that gets linked to naturally.

With link building, it is vital to know about the process. Google does not like websites that use unnatural link profiles.

Different SEO agencies may provide different services. You can search in the area you are interested in like SEO agency Singapore for instance. Search for a good one that will be able to help your website and business out. Research for a reputable one if you do not want to be faced with problems.

 

 

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You can now send money to Thailand instantly via PayNow

PayNow to Thailand main banner

The pandemic has seen a fluctuating curve in terms of recovery, and no one knows exactly when we can cross borders to visit our loved ones overseas.

Financially, it can be worrying too. Thanks to Singapore’s PayNow and Thailand’s PromptPay partnership, users can now transfer funds up to S$1,000 or THB25,000 daily across the two countries. All you need is just a mobile number.

Real-time payment systems linkage

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT) shared that the transfers will be done in just minutes. This presents a much faster solution when compared to other cross-border remittance solutions.

Those who’ve sent money overseas before know that it takes up to two working days to complete a typical transfer process.

On our sunny island, the participating banks are the big names we know – DBS, UOB, and OCBC. In Thailand, there are four financial institutions – Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank, Krung Thai Bank, and The Siam Commercial Bank.

What are the fees?
a woman holding onto an iPhone

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Convenience comes with a price to pay. But the MAS and BOT noted that the fees would be transparent and affordably priced. In addition, users will know the exact figure before proceeding with the transfers.

“Senders will also be able to view the applicable foreign exchange charges prior to sending their funds, with these rates benchmarked closely to prevailing market rates,” the central banks said.

ASEAN Payment Connectivity

As part of the ASEAN Payment Connectivity initiation two years ago, the PayNow-PromptPay collaboration has come into effect. This is in line with the overall aim to bring about more robust cross-border payment arrangements.

MAS managing director Ravi Menon mentioned that the PayNow-PromptPay linkage is only the beginning. Plans are in place to scale the system to involve other participants and even business transactions.

“MAS’ shared objective with BOT is to work with our ASEAN counterparts to expand this bilateral linkage into a network of linked retail payment systems across ASEAN,” Menon commented.

To that, UOB chief executive officer Wee Ee Cheong added that the PayNow-PromptPay linkage is a stepping stone to connect payment systems across ASEAN as we progress. This means that possibly more customers can transfer funds to their counterparts easily. They can also pay for goods and services within a few taps or clicks conveniently.

In fact, Thailand is already a step ahead with QR cross-border payment arrangements with other countries. This includes Laos, Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

“This service by the MAS and the BOT will effectively address customers’ long standing pain points in the area of cross-border transfers and remittances including long transaction times and high costs,” said BOT governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput.

Not using PayNow? You might want to visit abs.org.sg/consumer-banking/pay-now for more information.

paynow-promptpay-linkage-infographic

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