praveen

Singapore calling: Study, work, marry and get bonuses

Come , live and work in Singapore, says the Singapore government . For many Indian professionals this is increasingly proving to be a good option — and more and more Indians are voting with their feet. Apart from welcoming Indian companies, Indian bankers and finance and tech whiz kids, Singapore is now even looking at younger Indians.

You can be a kick-ass professional and find it a breeze setting up shop and home in Singapore.

But interestingly, if your son or daughter is a top-notch student in school, she/he could be headed out to Singapore as well — on government scholarships, including hostel accommodation etc.

Called the AStar scholarship, it’s targeted especially at Indians — it means if your child gets great grades in classes 7 and 8, he could qualify for scholarships in some of Singapore’s good schools.

It’s a great way of building loyalties and attracting potential immigrants, because the chances of these children growing up there, going on to universities or getting professional degrees and staying on, marrying, having kids are actually pretty high.

There are a number of similar schemes also for slightly older children at the school-leaving stage. This scholarship is especially for India, which says a lot about how the rest of the world looks at us. The principle is not particularly new; it’s been the recipe for success in the US, UK, and even Australia, which are seeing a growing Indian student influx.


Equally, if you are one of those really bright expats doing a job in Singapore, you will be encouraged to bring in your family and kids and set up home there.

For many Indians, that’s actually beginning to make sense. According to recent figures, there are about 273,000 Indians — professionals and skilled people — living in Singapore on what are called long-stay visas. And that’s not counting the immigrant population or people on permanent resident permits. Why do Indians like Singapore?

Desperately seeking professionals

India’s high commissioner to Singapore, S Jaishankar says he believes he knows why. “Indians like the efficiency, equal opportunity and the cultural comfort of Singapore.” And Singapore? “From their point of view, they see Indians as highly educated, skilled, with a strong work ethic and equally strong family values . That makes them easy to live with.”
In many ways, Singapore attracts Indians in the same way the US does. The belief that what is due to a native Singaporean is also due to an immigrant is what has made the difference — not to speak of the fact that Indian culture is as acceptable in Singapore as in India.

Foreigners make up about one-third of the national workforce. The country set a goal to raise its population total to 6.5 million within two decades, essentially injecting fresh life, mainly through immigration from India and China.

Singaporean companies have now been allowed to draw up to 50% of their workforce from overseas , and that’s attracting Indians and Chinese in equal numbers. Government strategists estimate they will have about 450,000 jobs up for grabs in the next few years.

But Singapore barely produces babies. And that’s its biggest problem, both sociologically and strategically. This city-state , which is a unique mix of the Orient and the Occident, has created an enviable infrastructure, living conditions and quality of life.

But its population growth is verging on the negative — at 1.26, well below replacement levels, Singapore is headed towards becoming another ageing Japan or a European country.

This alarming prospect governs Singapore’s strategic decisions , including immigration policies. Not many governments would do this, but Singapore’s government, which is extraordinarily intrusive , considers the population issue to be a “clear and present problem” . Hence, the need for an integrated solution, which includes encouraging young families and immigration.

The state’s young and articulate minister , Vivian Balakrishnan told visiting Indian journalists recently: “We actually give bonuses for babies.

So for your first baby, you get $3,000, your second baby you get $3,000 cash gift, another $6,000 given on a co-payment basis; which means you open an account in a bank and put in $1, and the government will put in $1, up to a maximum of $6,000.
-- So, the net effect is you can get $9,000 for your second child. For the third and fourth, it’s $6,000 cash, another $12,000, so a total of $18,000.” This, apart from perks like maternity leave, childcare, part-time work encouragement etc.

Incredibly, they’re even tweaking this generous policy to make it better.

But immigration is a more difficult deal — because Singapore, like most other places in the world is looking for skilled and talented people.

But equally, Singapore wants to maintain its present ethnic mix of Chinese, Indians and Malays. And after terrorism hit the world this century, it’s become even more necessary to keep an eagle eye on who’s coming in.

It’s also what makes Indians professionals and companies attractive .

Consider this: after Delhi, Singapore has the largest collection of IIM graduates — an eyebrow-raising 750! But increasingly , more socio-political demands are being made of them — at a recent event, Singapore’s top strategic thinker, Kishore Mahbubani told a group of IIM-walas that India’s management whizkids had a role to “rectify” the “paradoxical” role of the West. Phew!