S'pore slips a notch in expat living cost ranking

In Asia-Pac, it's now fourth, after Tokyo, Osaka, HK: survey

SINGAPORE is the 11th most expensive city in the world for expatriates, one place lower than its 10th position last year, says HR consultancy firm Mercer.

But the city moved up a notch to fourth place among cities in Asia-Pacific - which for the first time has three cities in the top 10 list of the dearest places for expats.

Tokyo remains the most expensive city in Asia-Pacific, with sister city Osaka second, and Hong Kong third. Singapore and Seoul round out the top five.

Cathy Loose, Asia-Pacific global mobility leader at Mercer's information product solutions business, said: 'Cities in Asia, such as Tokyo and Osaka, continue to be the most expensive cities given the relatively strong yen against other major currencies such as the US dollar.

'Other high-ranking cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing remain relatively the same in terms of overall cost-of-living ranking.'

Part of the reason Asian cities feature more prominently in the worldwide top 10 list is the rise in residential property prices in the region, said Mercer senior researcher Nathalie Constantin-Metral.

'At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, residential property prices in many Asian countries rose as the economic environment began to stabilise and demand for good expat housing increased,' said Ms Constantin-Metral.

Among the 214 cities surveyed by Mercer, Tokyo was ranked second worldwide, giving up its place as the world's most costly city for expats to Angola's capital Luanda.

Ndjamena, in the central African nation of Chad, was placed third, followed by Moscow, then Geneva.

Mercer said the high living costs in some African cities reflects the continent's increasing economic importance across all business sectors.

'We've seen an increase in demand for information on African cities from across the business spectrum - mining, financial services, airlines, manufacturing, utilities and energy companies,' said Ms Constantin-Metral. 'Many people assume that cities in the developing world are cheap, but this isn't necessarily true for expatriates working there.'

In particular, the cost of good, secure accommodation can be 'extraordinarily high', she said.

Mercer's Cost of Living survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

New York is used as the base city for the index, and all cities are compared against the Big Apple. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar.

The cost of housing - often the biggest expense for expats - plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

Source: Business Times, 30 Jun 2010

2 more JCs building student hostels

The 12-storey hostels will serve students from SAJC, AJC and nearby schools

TWO more junior colleges are building hostel facilities to offer accommodation options to their students.

St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC) in Potong Pasir Avenue 1 and Anderson Junior College (AJC) in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 are both building 12-storey hostels to be completed by December next year.

Though the JCs declined to say if the hostels would cater mainly to foreign students, it is such students who take up 70 per cent to 80 per cent of hostel rooms in other schools, such as Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution and River Valley High School.

Foreign students at SAJC and AJC welcomed the move, which would save them the commute to school.

The hostels will have dining halls, computer and study rooms and recreational facilities like gyms, and music and television rooms. St Andrew's Hall will also have a 600-seat dining room to accommodate the whole hostel.

The hostels will serve boys and girls from SAJC and AJC, as well as those from nearby schools.

When they are built, there will be 14 schools with hostel facilities.

The remaining rooms are generally used by Singaporean students participating in leadership and character development programmes, or as temporary accommodation for international students on exchange programmes.

The two schools declined to say how many foreign students they had.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said 12 per cent of the 510,000 students in primary and secondary schools, JCs and centralised institute are permanent residents and international students and the proportion has remained constant in the last few years.

An SAJC spokesman said: 'The value of a residential campus lies not only in our students drawing valuable life lessons from learning together, but also from living together.' She added that St Andrew's Hall will also be used as a venue for programmes run at the St Andrew's schools, for example as housing for students taking SAJC's residential leadership programmes.

Foreign students said they might even choose to pick a school that has a hostel.

Said SAJC student Nicholas Lau, 18, a Malaysian: 'I would prefer to study in a school with a hostel located right next door. It is more convenient, and if my activities end late, I can just walk back.

'In McNair Lodge, we stay five to a room and there is little privacy. The facilities are also quite limited, so this new hostel will be a lot better for our juniors.'

Ainesh Madan, 17, an AJC student from India, said: 'In Parry Hall, we live in separate blocks. The community spirit is not that strong. Hopefully, when we all start anew at this new hostel, we can build a stronger spirit.'

Ten Singaporean students told The Straits Times they preferred to live at home, but were excited about having access to the facilities.

'We can use the facilities such as the swimming pool. We can also hold our school camps there,' said Gladys Chew, a 17-year-old local student at SAJC.

MOE said there are no plans to build hostels in other schools.

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Accommodation options

Where the hostels are located: Potong Pasir Avenue 1 beside St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC), and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 behind Anderson Junior College (AJC).
Facilities: Dining halls, computer and study rooms, gyms, music and television rooms. St Andrew's Hall will also have a 600-seat dining area.
Capacity: 600 each
Who will live at the hostels: Students at SAJC and AJC and nearby schools.
Date of completion: December 2011

Source: Straits Times, 26 May 2010

More space for foreign schools

MORE public buildings and land will be released by the Government for up to three more foreign schools to meet the schooling needs of the growing expatriate community.

At full capacity, the three schools can take in between 4,500 and 7,500 students.

Currently, there are 94,000 international students enrolled in government and private schools here.

The new foreign schools can occupy the former Chong Boon Primary School in Ang Mo Kio Street 44, the former Nan Chiau High School in Kim Yam Road and three empty sites in Bukit Batok Road, Punggol Field Walk and Yishun Avenue 1.

The first can open as early as 2013 and the other two within the next five years after that, to add to the 41 international schools operating here already.

This is the second time that the Government has released vacant land and properties to meet the schooling needs of the growing expatriate community.

In 2008, the Economic Development Board (EDB) announced that seven sites would be made available for up to four international schools to ease the supply crunch situation at that time.

Many international schools then were full, and the popular ones had long waiting lists. The shortage of places was so dire that it was a stumbling block for companies looking to bring in expatriate employees and their families.

When contacted, Member of Parliament Josephine Teo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, estimated that the three schools, if constructed, will ease the supply crunch – for now.

However, it remains to be seen if they would be sufficient in the long run as Singapore positions to be an attractive Asian hub for global talent, she told The Straits Times.

‘It will be a matter of time before the additional places may not be enough and we will need to review the situation,’ she said.

When asked if the expatriate community should consider Singapore schools for their children, Mrs Teo said there is already a growing number of foreigners who send their children to schools here to immerse them in a Mandarin-speaking environment.

However, expatriates may still prefer to send their children to international schools, she said.

Typically, most stay here for a few years before going back to their countries and prefer to send their children to international schools which they are more familiar with and can get used to quickly, Mrs Teo added.

The supply crunch had eased considerably since last year when a new international school Stamford American International School was set up. Older schools such as the United World College of South East Asia and the Australian International School Singapore have also expanded their premises.

The EDB’s executive director of human capital and professional services Toh Wee Khiang said that demand for places in international schools held strong last year despite the recession, and is expected to grow as the economy bounces back.

The EDB received more than 20 proposals in 2008 and Mr Toh expects the response from interested schools this time round to be ‘comparable’.

He said proposals would be assessed on factors such as quality of education programmes, track record, and investment commitments.

The EDB may make available other plots of land for international schools in the future based on strength of demand, he added.

Source: Straits Times, 29 Mar 2010

S’pore top city to live in for Asian expats

Ranking makes city appealing to global firms wishing to bring in staff: ECA

SINGAPORE has emerged as the top place for Asian expatriates to live in for an 11th year running, according to global human resource consultancy ECA International.

High quality infrastructure, alongside low health risks, air pollution and crime rates, and a cosmopolitan population make Singapore the best city for Asian expats to relocate to, ECA says. Singapore came in first ahead of Sydney and Kobe, both of which retained their rankings from 2009 too.

Its annual location ratings report is intended to help global companies decide on ‘hardship allowances’ for expatriates, by analysing the quality of life for over 400 locations. The assessments take into account the home and destination countries of employees, which explains why while Singapore is top of the chart for Asian expats, it ranks 55th on the list for Western European ones. On that list, European cities dominate the top spots, but Singapore still ranks above Hong Kong, Tokyo and the major Chinese cities.

Lee Quane, Asia regional director of ECA, told BT that hardship allowances could come up to 20 per cent of an assignee’s base salary in less favourable locations.

Singapore’s emerging top on this survey thus bodes well for its cost attractiveness to global companies who wish to bring in staff from abroad. But these allowances are just one component of an expatriate’s overall compensation package.

In an ECA report comparing cities’ cost of living last December, Singapore climbed three spots to be the ninth most expensive Asian city for expatriates from all over.

Even then, Mr Quane said: ‘If you look at the wider picture, of the major cities in Asia – Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul – the cost to a company of sending an employee from elsewhere in Asia to Singapore would probably still be lowest.’

For instance, neither Hong Kong nor Singapore’s quality of living would warrant a ‘hardship allowance’ recommendation from ECA, but the cost of living in Hong Kong is still higher than in Singapore. This makes the overall compensation package for an Asian assignee sent here more cost competitive, he said.

Source: Business Times, 25 Mar 2010

Canadian school’s new campus to open in 2011

THE Canadian International School (CIS) here has unveiled the partner financing its new $140 million campus in Jurong West.

It is Singapore-based private education provider Knowledge Universe, which has more than 350,000 students in its institutions worldwide, including 8,500 in its 41 institutions here, which are mostly preschools.

The injection of funds will give Knowledge Universe a majority stake in CIS, the founders of which will continue to manage the school while retaining a significant equity stake, said CIS founder and managing director Thomas Tang.

The new campus can accommodate up to 3,300 students when it reaches full capacity in 10 years.

Spread over 43,000 sq m, it will have state-of-the-art classrooms, sporting complexes, outdoor play facilities, as well as a performing arts and fine arts centre, an auditorium and a media centre.

Estimated to be completed by August next year, the new campus will consolidate the school’s current Toh Tuck, Bukit Tinggi and Kampong Bahru campuses. The school’s East Coast campus in Tanjong Katong will stay put, as it was recently renovated.

The school, which is not funded by the Canadian government, has 1,900 students across its campuses now.

The new campus almost could not materialise, a victim of the global financial crisis. The school ran into difficulties raising funds, and construction stalled in October 2008.

It was supposed to have opened in February last year, and when it became clear this was not going to happen, parents were thrust into uncertainty, unsure about whether they should keep their children there.

Ms Elizabeth Duke, whose sons are in Grades 3 and 5 in the school, said: ‘I know parents who have moved their children out, which affects me because my sons lose their friends.’

CIS head Glenn Odland said the school cast around for potential partners, and picked Knowledge Universe after rigorous evaluation.

‘We decided that Knowledge Universe offered the best fit for our school and our community,’ he said.

Mr Tang said both parties have been thoughtful and prudent in considering how the partnership should be structured to ensure maximum benefits for the students.

The unveiling of Knowledge Universe as the school’s partner comes nine months after CIS said it had secured financing from a partner it did not name.

Dr Odland said: ‘As a school, we recognise that many members of our community have experienced anxiety as a result of the delays in the Jurong project, and we are extremely pleased that we can now move forward.’

Ms Duke said she hoped that parents who were uncertain would now be persuaded to keep their children in CIS.

Referring to the August 2011 opening date, she said it was just one more school year away, which ‘will be tolerable to parents, and we’ll be able to maintain our strong community’.

Source: Straits Times, 16 Mar 2010

Expats rate Singapore highly: HSBC poll

S’pore is fourth out of 26 economies, ahead of US, UK, HK

SOME people want to leave Singapore for greener pastures. But the city-state has some of the greenest around, according to expats surveyed by HSBC Bank International.

The survey quizzed 3,146 expats across 50 countries about their experience when integrating into local society and quality of life compared with that in their home country. And Singapore was ranked a respectable fourth out of 26 economies – ahead of the US, UK and Hong Kong.

Only places with at least 30 respondents were ranked to provide a more accurate indication of views and trends in each place.

Within the Asia-Pacific, Singapore was ranked third after Australia and Thailand, which snagged the top two spots.

Canada was ranked first among all countries in the survey.

Sebastian Arcuri, head of personal financial services at HSBC Singapore, said: ‘It is not surprising that expats ranked Singapore highly in the survey. Our expat clients from HSBC Premier have shared with us many anecdotes praising the efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure and the high standard of living here.’

On individual components that made up the survey – such as quality of accommodation, health care, food, education and the like – Singapore was ranked in tops for setting up utilities, with 82 per cent of respondents saying this was fuss-free.

On transport, seven out of 10 respondents said travelling here easier than in their home country, putting the island in fourth place.

For health care, Singapore was ranked sixth, with over half of respondents here saying they think Singapore’s health services are better here than those in their home country.

On schooling for expat children, Singapore was ranked second after Malaysia, with 37 per cent of respondents here saying education and child care are better than at home.

But expats living here seem to find it difficult to make local friends – Singapore was ranked 18th out of 26.

And even more interestingly, Singapore was ranked a relatively lowly 12th for food, with only 43 per cent of respondents saying food is better here than in their home country.

Still, this was higher than the global average of 36 per cent.

The survey was conducted by third-party research firm FreshMinds from Feb to April this year.

Source: Business Times, 15 Dec 2009

S’pore 4th best place for expat posting: Poll

SINGAPORE is the fourth most attractive posting globally for expatriates, according to a new survey from HSBC.

The bank’s report, which assesses the expatriate experience provided by 26 key locations, puts the Lion City behind Canada, Australia and Thailand but ahead of Bahrain, South Africa, France and the US.

Some 3,146 expatriates from 50 economies were polled for the survey, which ranks Singapore highly for logistics such as the setting up of utilities and transport, but lowly in terms of softer issues such as making local friends and hobbies.

Mr Sebastian Arcuri, HSBC Singapore’s head of personal financial services, said it was not surprising expatriates ranked Singapore highly.

‘Our expat clients have shared with us many anecdotes praising the efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure and the high standard of living here,’ he said.

Singapore got the thumbs up for quality of transport, education, childcare and health care.

The Republic emerged top for the setting up of utilities, with 82per cent of expatriates stating that the experience was fuss-free. By contrast, two-thirds of expatriates in the United Arab Emirates found the same process tough.

Singapore came fourth for transport, with the quality of this system making it easier to get to work.

Two-thirds of those polled noted an increase in the ease of travelling to work after moving to their new base, compared with 44per cent globally. And 72per cent said the general quality of travel was better than that available in their home countries.

Hong Kong came two places ahead of Singapore in this area, with expatriates finding the commute to work easier and noticing an improvement in transport generally.

Singapore excelled in education and childcare, coming in second behind Malaysia for organising schooling for expatriate children. Some 37per cent of expatriates here reported an increase in the quality of education and childcare after moving to Singapore, compared to only 18per cent globally.

But Singapore ranked a lowly 18th in terms of the ease of making local friends, and 24th for joining a local community group.

Mr Phillip Overmyer, an American and chief executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, said this could be due to housing and the presence of international schools and clubs.

He noted: ‘Most Singaporeans live in HDB flats, which are not yet popular as a housing choice for expats, who tend to live in private apartments. There are also strongly established networks among expat communities here.’

The major findings of the survey were supported by business chambers and expatriate communities.

Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Predeep Menon said: ‘Singapore’s been building up the buzz, which was known to be lacking a decade ago. Now it’s a more ‘happening’ place.’

Some aspects of the survey did not ring true with everyone though.

British Chamber of Commerce president Terry O’Connor said his members were very happy socially.

‘We have a thriving business networking scene. Singapore is an easy place for people to assimilate,’ he said.

A recent study conducted by the American Chamber showed that expatriates were most satisfied with the lack of corruption, Singapore’s laws and regulations, stable government and personal security. However, for the third year in a row, the survey cited housing costs and office lease costs as areas of concern.

Singapore service standards and cost of living are also negatives, said Mr Overmyer. ‘There are serious problems with the standards of service in the F&B, retail and hotel sectors. We’re getting wealthier people living here who are used to higher standards of service elsewhere, but are getting a lower standard of service here. We’re losing ground in this area relative to other countries in the region,’ he said.

Source: Straits Times, 15 Dec 2009

S’pore ranked 3rd in region by expats for better quality of life

Singapore earned kudos from expats for the quality of utilities, transport, education and childcare, and healthcare available here, according to the latest findings of HSBC’s Expat Explorer.

The survey, said to be the largest international survey of expatriates ever conducted, said Singapore has been ranked third among countries in the Asia-Pacific, after Australia and Thailand; and fourth against all the countries in the survey, after Canada, Australia and Thailand.

According to the survey, Singapore is tops when it comes to the setting up of utilities.

In terms of transport and commute to work, Hong Kong is ranked two places ahead of Singapore.

Singapore is a close second to Malaysia when it comes to organising school for expat children.

In terms of accommodation, over half of expats (51 per cent) in Singapore said that the quality of their accommodation has improved from their country of origin, compared to the global average of 42 per cent.

As for healthcare, over half (56 per cent) of expats felt that healthcare had improved when they moved to Singapore.

Singapore emerged a clear food haven with 43 per cent of expats agreeing that the food quality had improved significantly for them.

Commissioned by HSBC Bank International, Expat Experience is the second report in the Expat Explorer research. The survey questioned 3,146 expats across four continents and 50 countries on their experiences of integrating into local society and their quality of life in comparison to their home country.

Source: Business Times, 14 Dec 2009

Demand up as international school opens

Flood of inquiries despite $20k fees at Stamford American International

SINGAPORE'S newest international school was officially opened yesterday, and already, demand for places is heating up despite fees that run to $20,000 a year.

The Stamford American International School (SAIS) started classes two weeks ago on its temporary campus in Lorong Chuan - beside the Australian International School Singapore (AISS) - with an enrolment of about 90 students.

By year's end, it will take in another 90 students.

The school is operated by Cognita - an international education group that runs about 50 schools worldwide, including the AISS.

The group's chief executive officer for Asia, Mr Brian Rogove, said yesterday that interest in the school has been high.

The number of inquiries on places has grown from about 20 a week at the beginning of the year to about 75 a week now.

He expects demand to remain strong, as many of the inquiries are from parents looking to relocate to Singapore soon.

In fact, he said, about half of the students currently enrolled come from families who moved here this year.

'We see this as a sign that the economy is growing and more families will be moving here in future,' he added.

SAIS expects to have 2,500 students by 2016, four years after its permanent campus in Upper Serangoon opens.

The school's temporary Lorong Chuan premises can accommodate only 600 students.

SAIS takes in children between the ages of two and 18, and offers the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement Diploma programmes.

The demand for places at SAIS is mirrored at other international schools here.

For example, AISS - which currently has an enrolment of 2,258 - has over 100 children on its waiting list for next year.

Over at United World College of South East Asia (UWC), the waiting list is in the thousands, said the school's director of communications, Ms Joy L. Stevenson.

The strong demand for places has dispelled earlier fears that the global recession would affect enrolment.

Earlier this year - as Singapore and the rest of the world were caught in the throes of the recession - insiders predicted that the rush for international school places would slow to a trickle, as companies cut jobs, forcing many expatriates to leave town and take their families with them.

But such fears proved unfounded.

In fact, UWC's Ms Stevenson said that, if anything, waiting lists have grown longer. The reason, she said, is that 'more expatriate families are staying on beyond their one- or two-year contracts, and are making Singapore their permanent homes'.

SAIS' Mr Rogove agreed.

He said at the school's opening ceremony yesterday: 'According to an internal survey, we estimated that about 2,000 expatriate students would leave Singapore this year.

'But to our surprise, this has not been the case. Not only are families staying on, but we are also seeing new families who just moved to Singapore this year applying for places in the school.'

He added: 'I think this is due to the resilience of Singapore's economy and also because of confidence in the quality of education in schools here.'

The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore said a survey it conducted showed that this year, there will be more people moving here than moving out.

Although they can apply to place their children in mainstream schools here, many expatriate parents prefer international schools.

When interviewed, expats said that while they plan to stay in Singapore for the long term, they want their children in international schools so that they can maintain links to their home countries.

One such parent is Mrs Laura Byers Day, a Canadian who has lived with her family here for 11 years. She has three children enrolled in SAIS.

Said the 40-year-old housewife: 'We don't plan to leave any time soon. Singapore is a great place to live in, it's safe and the education is good.

'But, at the same time, since we are so far away from home, we want our children to be educated in a system which we are familiar with.

'And if they choose to go back, they will be able to fit in better.'

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MORE STAYING PUT

'According to an internal survey, we estimated that about 2,000 expatriate students would leave Singapore this year. But to our surprise, this has not been the case. Not only are families staying on, but we are also seeing new families who just moved to Singapore this year applying for places in the school.
Mr Brian Rogove, Cognita's chief executive officer for Asia

Source: Straits Times, 29 Aug 2009

New international school opens temporary campus at Lorong Chuan

Another international school has opened its doors in Singapore, hoping to fill an expected demand for foreign-style education system here and in the Asia Pacific.

According to Singapore-based education group Cognita, although earlier surveys had estimated the exodus of some 2,000 international students, improvements in Singapore’s economy have in fact led to an increase in expatriates moving into the country.

The company runs the new Stamford American International School, which opened its temporary campus at Lorong Chuan on Friday. It said some 32,000 students are studying in international schools here and the number is expected to double by 2014.

Kathleen Caoyonan, expatriate from Texas, USA, said: “With the younger kids, there are so few slots. I think people are starting to find a little bit more openings, but there is still a waiting list.”

Cognita has already committed S$250 million for the development of its new campus, which currently has over 80 students. The firm said demand is good, citing up to 70 enquiries on enrolment each week.

Brian Rogave, chief executive officer of Asia Cognita, said: “Every single enquiry we’ve had turned into enrolment. It’s a positive trend, we hope it continues.”

The current campus can take in up to 600 students. The permanent campus, to be located at Upper Serangoon, will offer some 2,500 places when it is ready by 2012.

Access to foreign schools is an important criterion for expatriates coming to work in Singapore, according to a study conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).

The study also found that more than three-quarters of respondents preferred attending international schools with home-country curriculum.

In August last year, the Singapore government had, for the first time, listed public buildings and vacant plots to be made available for more foreign schools.

Initial plans were for up to four schools to be built, but this was later scaled down to just one due to the economic downturn.

Cognita runs 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School here which has reported a waiting list of 114 for next year’s enrolment.

Source: Channel News Asia, 28 Aug 2009

New campus gives boost to education hub goal

Stamford American Int'l School will provide up to 2,500 places in long run

BARELY two years after taking over the Australian International School of Singapore, international education group Cognita is now busy counting down the days to the birth of its newest baby - the Stamford American International School.

As the finishing touches are applied to the campus in Lorong Chuan ahead of the big day on Aug 17, the availability of up to 2,500 places in the long run will be a boon to the Republic's goal to be an education hub in the region, said Cognita chief executive (Asia-Pacific) Brian Rogove.

In a recent interview with BT, he said Stamford will have an initial intake of about 500-600 students - from nursery level to the fifth grade - for the first three years.

And once it moves to a permanent home in Upper Serangoon Road, the school will cater to a maximum of 2,500 students spread out in small class sizes of around 20.

This, said Mr Rogove, will help ease the perennially tight supply of places in schools here that offer a US-style education. Stamford will offer an American-style curriculum, with a strong focus on languages.

Last November, the Economic Development Board awarded UK-based Cognita a state site at the former Upper Serangoon secondary school in what was the government's first request-for- interest exercise for foreign system schools. Cognita was chosen from almost 30 proposals received during the exercise.

'In the past couple of months, the level of interest in our American school has increased tremendously, especially from overseas,' Mr Rogove said. 'The EDB has been incredibly supportive of us from day one, and has helped us achieve our target opening date.'

Singapore remains a key market for Cognita because of its strategic location, he said. 'As it is a market where we see many opportunities, we will continue to explore the possibility of future expansion.'

Having opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Central at Clarke Quay, Mr Rogove said the group plans to expand its existing portfolio of more than 50 schools worldwide, including in the UK and Spain.

In May this year it announced its first foray into Thailand with the acquisition of the St Andrews International School, with plans to pour in money to build a new secondary school as well.

It has been a non-stop journey for the group's financiers since they set up the company just five years ago. Chairman Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of schools in the UK, has said Cognita is on track to own up to 100 schools by 2013.

Asked about the other countries that Cognita has its eye on, Mr Rogove was guarded but gave an inkling into what he sees as the more lucrative markets

'We are just getting into China,' he said. 'In the next couple of months we will announce some acquisitions in South-east Asia. Countries that we are keen on are Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, China, to name a few.'

Source: Business Times, 3 Aug 2009

Expats here live the high life: HSBC survey

DESPITE the high cost of living for expatriates in Singapore, and cutbacks in luxury spending due to the recession, most expats here want to stay put, an HSBC survey has found.

HSBC's Expat Economics survey, carried out from February to April this year, polled over 3,100 expats across 50 countries on their financial situation and lifestyle.

'Expats in Singapore live the high life,' says the survey report, released yesterday.

More than three-quarters of the 192 expats polled here said they have more disposable income than they had back home.

Three-quarters also said they save more here than they did back home. Among various wealth accumulation tools, the three most popular were savings accounts, managed funds and shares.

Sebastian Arcuri, head of personal financial services at HSBC Singapore, said: 'Our expat clients have told us that reductions in rent over the past nine months have increased their disposable income. However, due to the uncertain economic times, most of them are opting not to spend this increase in their income.'

Two-thirds of the expats polled here said they have cut back on spending on luxury items.

The cost of living for expatriates in Singapore remains high. Forty-four per cent of those polled here spend more on accommodation than expats in other countries, and entertainment and healthcare costs are also above the global average, the HSBC survey found.

However, 91 per cent of those polled here said they have not considered returning home amid the economic crisis - higher than the 85 per cent global average.

Of those who have considered moving home, 28 per cent cited shorter work contracts as a key factor, compared with the global average of 15 per cent.

Overall, Singapore ranked sixth worldwide on the report's league table of quality of life, as measured by expats' annual income, disposable income, ability to save and possession of luxury items.

Hong Kong, another popular expat location in this region, ranked fourth. The Russian Federation, Qatar and Saudi Arabia took the top three spots.

Source: Business Times, 28 July 2009

New campus coming up for UWC

DEMAND for private education in top international schools remains strong despite the economic slump.

A few schools have waiting lists up to four years long, and a steady flow of inquiries about enrolment.

Yesterday, the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) broke the ground for its new Tampines campus, which will boost its enrolment from 3,000 now to a targeted 5,500 by 2015.

The campus will open in parts from next August, starting with the infant school, where the wait-list is longest. The rest of the campus will open in 2011.

Its head of college, Mr Julian Whiteley, said there is significant demand for places in the school. All classes now are full.

Similar situations exist at the Tanglin Trust School, the Australian International School Singapore and the Canadian International School.

Tanglin Trust has no vacancies at all, while the Australian school has none for its preschool. The Canadian school is also running close to capacity.

The Australian International School has about 160 children pre-enrolled until 2013 so they can secure places early, while the Tanglin Trust School has a wait-list which grows at a healthy rate each month.

The Canadian International School also has a list of close to 100 people who have pre-enrolled their children in the school for the coming years.

With its new Tampines campus, UWCSEA will join a list of international schools which have expanded their premises or announced plans to do so because of an urgent need for space.

The Australian School opened its extension for preschoolers and junior schoolers in July last year. Barely three months later, it announced plans to build a new 35-classroom wing for senior students by next April.

Another school, Global Indian International School, opened its third campus in Balestier last August.

Schools pointed to several reasons for the demand: more younger international students coming in, the rising appeal of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme offered by some schools, and the entry of many families into the Asia Pacific region.

Even if expatriates lose their jobs, the last thing they want to do is disrupt their children’s education, said Mr Whiteley.

The new 5.5ha UWCSEA campus, which has a 45-year lease, is being built at ‘extremely low’ cost, said Mr Charles Ormiston, a member of UWCSEA’s board of governors.

It missed the peak in the construction market because of the recession, and final costs will be about 15 per cent below initial estimates, he added.

At the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, the school announced it would offer scholarships every year for two Singaporean students from neighbourhood schools, starting from 2011.

Applications will begin in August next year for entry to the school year in August 2011, Mr Whiteley said. Each scholarship is worth about $60,000, depending on whether the student chooses to stay in the boarding school, and will be to complete the school’s two-year IB diploma programme.

Over the next four to five years, Mr Whiteley added, the school will employ close to 200 teachers from Singapore and elsewhere.

Mr S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, said that the Government’s support of UWCSEA’s expansion – JTC Corporation is leasing the building to the school – underlines its commitment to provide world-class educational facilities for the international community here.

He added: ‘Even as we tackle the pressing economic issues of today, we are also building the infrastructure and capabilities needed to realise our vision of a global city. International schools are an essential part of that architecture.’

Meanwhile, Mrs Joanna Bennett, whose two children, aged five and seven, are studying in UWCSEA’s interim Ang Mo Kio campus, is looking forward to the completion of the school in Tampines.

Said the 41-year-old housewife who is married to a Briton: ‘When we first applied in 2007, there was a waiting list of more than 200 people.

“We were very fortunate – three months later we got an e-mail informing us about a new Tampines campus.

‘But I would still have waited if I had to, because I want the best education for my children.’

Source: Straits Times, 18 June 2009

Singapore now ranks among top 10 most expensive cities in Asia for expatriates

SINGAPORE has become one of the 10 most expensive cities in Asia for expatriates to live, according to a new cost-of-living survey.

The Republic’s promotion from 13th spot last year to 10th in the ECA International survey, is largely down to price increases not slowing as quickly as elsewhere in Asia.

This is despite a weakening Singapore dollar making goods and services that much cheaper here for foreigners.

The strengthening of the yen saw the region’s top four spots taken up by Japanese cities.
Tokyo reclaimed its position as Asia’s most expensive city, followed by Nagoya, Yokohama and Kobe.

Explaining Singapore’s move up the ranks, Mr Lee Quane, regional director of ECA Asia, said: ‘Prices have not slowed down as much in Singapore as in other parts of Asia.’

The pace of increase in prices of goods and services in countries such as China and Malaysia, for instance, has slowed down by half. Prices are down by just one quarter in Singapore, said Mr Quane.

Still, Singapore remains a more affordable place than long-time rival Hong Kong, where the cost of living is being driven up by the strength of the Hong Kong dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar.
Hong Kong jumped from 98th spot to 29th in the global ranking, and is the seventh most costly city in Asia.

Globally, Singapore came in 72nd, up from being 114th last year.

Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and New Delhi are among the Asian cities which have become relatively cheaper for expatriates.

The survey found that the cost of living in Asia has increased relative to the United States and Europe, given that the West has been hit hardest by the global financial crisis.

So, while inflation has slowed in many Asian cities compared to a year ago, it has fallen more dramatically in many Western countries where growth has been slower.

Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) chief executive Phillip Overmyer says global companies with operations in Singapore are feeling the pinch.

‘We’re seeing demand coming down, yet costs remain very high,’ making Singapore and some other Asian cities very expensive places to operate, he warned.

‘What I see going on right now are serious evaluations (by companies). Where do we go if we need to move? What do we do if recession is going to last for a few years?’

Ms Jane Fraser, 38, an advertising executive, said the cost of living in Singapore is still ‘reasonably bearable’. However, housing rents, which have been steadily declining of late, are still a bugbear, she said.

ECA carries out its survey twice a year to help multinational companies calculate remuneration packages and living costs for expatriates. The study compares a basket of 125 consumer goods and services commonly bought by expats in over 370 locations and measures these items against inflation, availability of goods and exchange rates.

Most expensive cities in Asia
1. Tokyo (1)
2. Nagoya (4)
3. Yokohama (2)
4. Kobe (5)
5. Beijing (10)
6. Shanghai (12)
7. Hong Kong (9)
8. Shenzhen (16)
9. Guangzhou (15)
10. Singapore (13)
Bracket indicates March 2008 ranking

Source: Straits Times, 11 Jun 2009

Rise in home buyers from China and India

Indonesians' share of Q1 buys slips; Malaysians are biggest buyers

(SINGAPORE) Mainland Chinese were the second largest group of overseas buyers of private homes in Singapore in the first three months of this year.

They accounted for 18 per cent of the 490 caveats lodged for private home purchases in Q1 by foreigners and Singapore permanent residents, compared with an 11 per cent share in the preceding quarter.

On the other hand, the proportion of Indonesian buyers dwindled from 24 per cent in Q4 2008 to 14 per cent, their lowest share in over a decade, according to property consulting group DTZ's analysis of caveats captured by URA's Realis system as at May 29.

'This is due in part to the poorer sentiments in the upper mid-tier and luxury segments which had traditionally generated interest from the Indonesians,' suggests DTZ's senior director and head, SEA Research, Chua Chor Hoon.

Malaysians had the lion's share or 26 per cent of total private homes acquired by foreigners and PRs in Q1 2009, replacing Indonesians who had enjoyed the pole position in Q4 last year.
Indians' contribution also rose from 9 per cent in Q4 2008 to 14 per cent in Q1 2009.

DTZ reckons the rising affluence of mainland Chinese and Indians will see them playing a more significant role on the Singapore property front.

More than 80 per cent of Indians and Malaysians and 60 per cent of the mainland Chinese who invested in private homes on the island in Q1 this year were Singapore permanent residents. In contrast, only 40 per cent of Indonesians who bought in Q1 were Singapore PRs.

The Indonesians, however, seem to have bigger budgets. Forty per cent of Indonesians purchased homes above $1 million in Q1, compared with less than 30 per cent for Malaysians, mainland Chinese and Indians.

Jones Lang LaSalle head of residential Jacqueline Wong said: 'Some private bankers are asking us for help to source for prime residential properties in Singapore for clients from India, Hong Kong and Indonesia. They generally want to buy prime properties, though not necessarily luxury. Some are looking for firesale prices, but fortunately or unfortunately, there are not many in the prime districts.'

Knight Frank executive director (residential) Peter Ow said foreign buyers from the region will return to the Singapore property market in stronger fashion once they see clearer signs of economic recovery in their home markets.

'They want to park their money in Singapore for the usual reasons like stability and transparency; they're waiting for clearer signs that prices are picking up before they enter the market,' he added.

Source: Business Times, 3 June 2009

Canadian school's campus rumpus

With work on Jurong West Campus stalling, some parents threaten to stop paying building fee

FOR an institution that is in the business of providing answers, the privately-owned Canadian International School (CIS) has left a group of irate parents with a $7.7 million question, now that the school's new campus development has failed to materialise.

Since late 2007, $7.7 million has been raised from about 1,600 parents of students in three of CIS's campuses who have been paying $1,100 per semester for what they believed had been contributions to a Building and Development fund set up for the construction of the school's new Jurong West campus.

The new five-storey campus will consolidate three out of four of CIS's campuses on the island. Construction on the campus - slated to open in February this year - has stopped since last October.
'There has been no explanation for why the work has stopped and they have been less than precise about what will happen,' said Anthony Phillips, who has paid $8,800 in building fees to date for his two children over four semesters. 'The site appears to have come to a standstill, but we've been getting an invoice every six months for building and development fees.'

When contacted by BT yesterday, CIS's head of school, Glenn Odland, said that the halt in construction was 'a function of the change in global economic circumstances'.

'We have reassured the parents that construction will resume by the end of this school term, which is June 12.

'By then, we will also explain to our parents in detail the reasons behind the delay and how we've resolved them,' said Mr Odland.

He was unable to provide BT with an estimated date of completion.

There are also conflicting views on what the fund was originally intended for.

'We were told that the money went for maintenance purposes, but that was not what the Building and Development fee was for, and that is unacceptable,' said Martine Guerin, who has contributed $4,400 for her son who is now in Grade 3 at CIS.

Mr Odland maintains, however, that this was never the case. 'We have made it clear from the start that the building fee would go towards maintenance of existing structures as well as new developments; it is mentioned in our admissions policy online,' he said.

In a letter - issued by the previous principal - dated October 2006, the new campus is mentioned as the reason for the Building and Development fee, but not the existing facilities.

The school will continue to include the fee on invoices. 'The building fee is a common part of the fee structure in many international schools, and it will continue as a permanent element in the fee structure,' said Mr Odland.

Fanning the furore, news of a Korean school's impending takeover of CIS's Bukit Tinggi campus in August 2010 has surfaced, leaving parents to wonder whether their children will still have a middle school campus if the Jurong West site is not ready by then. Mr Odland refused to elaborate on current negotiations with the Korean school. 'While it is ongoing, it would be grossly unfair to the process for it to be published to the public,' he said.

Despite a CIS email to parents on Tuesday that reassured them about ongoing negotiations with the Korean school and the resumption of work on the site before June 12, some of the parents remain unplacated.

'With the new West Jurong campus running almost two years behind schedule, many parents are extremely disappointed at there being almost nothing to show for the multi-million dollar investment in the project,' said Mr Phillips.

Mr Phillips and John Cappetta will be among the many parents who will not be paying future Building and Development fees. 'I was initially happy to pay, because my son, who is in Grade 1, would get to use the new facilities. But there has been absolutely no transparency over what's been happening to these funds,' said Mr Cappetta.

Parents like them might find themselves in a standoff with the school as a result. 'We will treat it as we would a delinquent account; we are pursuing and trying to facilitate payment. No family will be allowed to not pay,' Mr Odland told BT.

Source: Business Times, 30 May 2009

More expats fall prey to rogue property agents

More expatriates have become victims of tricky landlords, dodgy tenancy agreements, disappearing deposits and other rental snares.

According to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), foreigners lodged 32, out of a total of 365, complaints against real estate agents from last October to March this year.

This was a 23 per cent increase from the 26, out of 516, complaints within the same period a year earlier .

The Institute of Estate Agents itself has received five complaints from foreigners since last October. None of the agents mentioned was registered with it.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said that most of the complaints it received concerned rental agreements.

Commonly cited were overcharging and failure to honour agreements, especially with regard to refunds.

The onset of the economic crisis, with many retrenched foreigners terminating their leases early, may be a push factor for rogue agents.

Mr Chris Koh, a director at realty company Dennis Wee Group, said: 'There are probably dishonest agents acting alone, desperate to collect their full commission, who resorted to underhand tactics to withhold deposits.'

American technician Robert Jones, 36, and Mauritian IT professional Ashwin Ramdeehul, 29, spoke to The Sunday Times. They claimed they were cheated out of their deposits by the same person they had separately contacted.

Both had sought an HDB flat to rent, and had contacted an 'agent' through his advertisement.
When taken to view their prospective units, they were introduced to the 'landlord', a 40-year-old woman.

In Mr Jones' case, he signed a tenancy agreement with her on Feb 20 to rent a four-room HDB flat in Woodlands for $1,050 a month. He wanted to move in without delay as his wife was due to give birth to their first child soon.

He said that in his haste to rent, he did not pursue the fact that the owner was listed as someone else, but the 'landlord' on the documents was listed as the woman.

After paying her $5,250 (the deposit plus four months' rent), he then found he was unable to contact her. Anxious, he approached the owner's family at the Woodlands flat on Feb 23 and was told that the unit was being rented to the woman from March 7.

The owner assured him that he could move in as agreed on March 20.

He later went to the flat again, just to be sure, but was told that the woman had found another tenant. 'I was offered another flat in Ang Mo Kio, which I rejected,' said Mr Jones, who then asked for a full refund from the woman.

However, he was told he would get only $4,200, or four months' rent, as $1,050 was being forfeited because he 'backed out' of the agreement, a contention he disputed.

When contacted by The Sunday Times, the woman said: 'The owner did not want to rent to him because he was a nuisance who harassed them even before he was allowed to move in.'

She said she was acting on behalf of the owner, and produced a written agreement that was signed by the owner.

To date, she said, she has refunded Mr Jones $1,889 and added she would repay him $4,200 eventually.

However, Mr Jones wants all his money back. 'I paid $5,250, never got the house, and now she wants to return me $1,050 less?' he said.

He made a police report on March 5 and furthered his case at the Small Claims Tribunal on March 25, where he was granted a money order to collect the full amount from her. However, he has yet to get the money as she has remained uncontactable.

Like Mr Jones, Mr Ramdeehul paid a deposit in December last year to the same woman after signing a tenancy agreement for a two-room flat in Ang Mo Kio. He said she even provided a set of keys.

But he claimed she later told him the owner no longer wanted to rent out the flat and offered to find him a similar unit. When he refused, she returned only $550 of his $3,200 deposit, he said.

He made two police reports after he used the keys she had given him. 'When I opened the door, I saw a family who told me that she never gave them my deposit like she had promised,' he said.
He, too, filed a complaint at the Small Claims Tribunal and was issued a money order to collect the full amount but, like Mr Jones, has been unable to contact her since.

A check by The Sunday Times found an advisory on the Chinese Embassy's website which said that since many cases of rental disputes involve the sublease of property estates handled by that woman, 'the embassy would like tenants to stay alert when working with her'.

The Sunday Times spoke to other foreigners here who found themselves involved in complicated rental disputes or were allegedly cheated of money.

Mrs Nadya Begum, 37, and her engineer husband from Manchester, England, said they have been cheated not once but thrice in their seven years here.

'The first time, we were ignorant and did not ask for the agent's personal details. We ended up paying a deposit for a flat which had already been 'rented' out to four other couples, also foreigners.

'The second time, the agent cut off his phone line after he collected our deposit. The last time, in November 2008, we were smart enough to get the details of the agent and all the paperwork, but the landlord absconded with the money and is still uncontactable.'

ERA Reality associate director Eugene Lim said: 'Some unethical agents prey on the ignorance of foreigners, especially those who cannot speak English or Chinese and face a language barrier.'

South Korean housewife and study mama Kim Ae Ran, 46, said she was cheated of a $6,000 housing deposit by a real estate agent who claimed to be working for PropNex agency.

When she decided on Dec 9 last year to terminate her lease early and return to South Korea because her husband's business in Seoul was ailing, she gave two months' notice via e-mail to her landlord through her agent.

The landlord replied, also via e-mail, that he would refund her the full deposit of $6,000 with the 'expiry or lawful termination' of her lease.

But it has been 11/2 months since she and her two children moved out. They are now staying with a friend and she has not received any of the promised money.

When contacted by The Sunday Times, the agent said that Mrs Kim had 'unlawfully terminated' her lease and was not entitled to her deposit. He added that he was 'only an agent, not responsible for the sum', and that the landlord was away in China and uncontactable.

When PropNex was contacted, it investigated and found that the agent had already left the company when he signed the tenancy agreement with Mrs Kim.
It also found that the tenancy agreement he drew up stated that commission would be paid to an agent of 'PropNex Reality', rather than 'PropNex Realty'.

PropNex has since lodged a police report against the man.

Meanwhile, industry players say the recent announcement in Parliament to review and regulate agents could not have come sooner.

Mr Koh of Dennis Wee Group said: 'At the moment, only about one-third of real estate agents here are CEHA-certified.'

CEHA is the Common Examination for House Agents started in 1996 to raise the standards of real estate agents here.

He added: 'The industry badly needs both regulation and proper training, as well as penalties for rogue or scamming agents - it should be a two-pronged approach.'

Source: Straits Times, 5 April 2009

Those who stay are tightening their belts

For the Wild Geese families who are staying on here, cost-cutting is the order of the day.

Like many others, Madam An Li Ae, 41, has relocated to new quarters. She moved out of a three-bedroom condominium in Serangoon last October and into a three-room HDB flat in the area. She and her two sons, aged 12 and 15, share the flat with another kirogi family.

Like most kirogi mums, she has been getting $4,000 to $5,000 a month from her schoolteacher husband in South Korea for the past five years. But she will not get as much in a few months' time.
'After the won's value dropped so much, I cannot afford to fork out $3,000 a month just for condominium rental,' she said.

Associate Professor Kang Yoonhee, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore who does research on Korean migrant families, notes that many kirogi families have downgraded to HDB flats in cheaper areas.

Some provide 'homestays' for unaccompanied Korean students here to supplement their income.
Gone are expensive tuition or enrichment classes. Five out of seven kirogi mothers interviewed say they have cut it out entirely or switched to cheaper alternatives.

Mrs Natasha Park, 34, says she has stopped her two sons' weekly tennis and piano lessons, which used to cost her $40 an hour.

She has also terminated the services of the boys' English and Chinese private tutors, who charged $30 an hour, and enrolled them in group lessons at a tuition centre for half the price.

Indeed, some local tuition agencies here note that since the start of the recession, the number of Korean students has tripled.

Grocery shopping for many is now done in local supermarket chains like NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong.

'The food does taste a little bit different, but I can save up to $300 a month by switching from more expensive supermarkets,' said Mrs H.K. Moon, 39, who is here with two sons and a daughter.

Five out of six Korean supermarkets interviewed confirm that fewer Korean customers are coming in and they have seen a drop in business of at least 10 per cent.

Finally, cherished trips back home to South Korea and visits from fathers have been reduced or put on hold.

Said Mrs M.K. Lee, 36: 'My husband has stopped visiting since September last year, and we now talk on the phone only once every three days. We communicate mostly by e-mail. My sons miss their father a lot, but there is nothing we can do.'

Source: Straits Times, 15 Mar 2009

Those who stay are tightening their belts

For the Wild Geese families who are staying on here, cost-cutting is the order of the day.

Like many others, Madam An Li Ae, 41, has relocated to new quarters. She moved out of a three-bedroom condominium in Serangoon last October and into a three-room HDB flat in the area. She and her two sons, aged 12 and 15, share the flat with another kirogi family.

Like most kirogi mums, she has been getting $4,000 to $5,000 a month from her schoolteacher husband in South Korea for the past five years. But she will not get as much in a few months' time.
'After the won's value dropped so much, I cannot afford to fork out $3,000 a month just for condominium rental,' she said.

Associate Professor Kang Yoonhee, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore who does research on Korean migrant families, notes that many kirogi families have downgraded to HDB flats in cheaper areas.

Some provide 'homestays' for unaccompanied Korean students here to supplement their income.
Gone are expensive tuition or enrichment classes. Five out of seven kirogi mothers interviewed say they have cut it out entirely or switched to cheaper alternatives.

Mrs Natasha Park, 34, says she has stopped her two sons' weekly tennis and piano lessons, which used to cost her $40 an hour.

She has also terminated the services of the boys' English and Chinese private tutors, who charged $30 an hour, and enrolled them in group lessons at a tuition centre for half the price.

Indeed, some local tuition agencies here note that since the start of the recession, the number of Korean students has tripled.

Grocery shopping for many is now done in local supermarket chains like NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong.

'The food does taste a little bit different, but I can save up to $300 a month by switching from more expensive supermarkets,' said Mrs H.K. Moon, 39, who is here with two sons and a daughter.

Five out of six Korean supermarkets interviewed confirm that fewer Korean customers are coming in and they have seen a drop in business of at least 10 per cent.

Finally, cherished trips back home to South Korea and visits from fathers have been reduced or put on hold.

Said Mrs M.K. Lee, 36: 'My husband has stopped visiting since September last year, and we now talk on the phone only once every three days. We communicate mostly by e-mail. My sons miss their father a lot, but there is nothing we can do.'

Source: Straits Times, 15 Mar 2009

Singapore remains the best place for Asian expats

SINGAPORE is still the best place for Asian expatriates to live in, a global human resources consultancy said yesterday.

Edging out Sydney and Kobe, which were ranked second and third, Singapore defended its top spot for a 10th year in ECA International's latest annual survey.

'Good infrastructure and healthcare facilities, low crime and health risks and decent air quality' are why Singapore topped the quality-of-life charts for Asian assignees, ECA's regional director for Asia, Lee Quane, said.

Poor air quality is a key reason why Hong Kong, despite rising up the charts with improved facilities for visitors, came in 11th, below other Asian cities such as Yokohama and Tokyo.

ECA's Location Ratings Survey is based on a poll of 1,800 expatriate employees of 80 different nationalities, as well as its own evaluation of data from government and independent sources, such as crime rates and pollution levels.

More than 400 locations worldwide are rated on factors including climate, air quality, health services, housing and utilities, social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety and political tension.

These rankings are then used by HR professionals as a gauge of how much they should pay expatriate employees in 'hardship' allowances - compensation for adjusting to life in a new location. About 1,500 international clients purchase ECA's survey each year.

For Singapore, ECA recommends that companies pay a location allowance of between zero and 10 per cent of an expatriate's base salary, depending on where they relocate to Singapore from, Mr Quane said.

In its study, Singapore was also ranked the most liveable Asian location for European expatriates, out of 49 Asian locations rated. Worldwide, Copenhagen offered the best quality of life to Europeans, followed by Antwerp and Brussels. Worldwide, Singapore was ranked 54th.

Source: Business Times, 12 Mar 2009