Eyeing Overseas Job Exposure? How to Set Yourself Up to Thrive Abroad

Shift in expectations about career, realistic understanding of finances needed

- Tay Hong Yi

Once regarded as a luxury, overseas exposure for local talent is fast becoming a key way to hedge and thrive in a tough job market, in an upended global trade regime.

In fact, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong dedicated part of his Budget 2025 speech to signaling the urgency of getting more Singaporeans to gain this exposure, to be competitive for good jobs with international scope that large firms and multinationals anchor over here.

The Ministry of Manpower previously told The Sunday Times that global companies here have indicated a need for more Singaporeans to take on overseas stints at an early stage in their career, so there is a pipeline of workers ready for leadership positions.

This is because leaders in organizations that choose Singapore as regional or global headquarters often need to make decisions with cross-border impact, a responsibility that requires direct experience outside of home turf.

There are signs that young Singapore workers are keen to rise to the challenge.

A 2023 poll showed nearly two in three Singapore workers are willing to relocate for work, the bulk of whom were aged below 30—yet only a fraction of these workers have actually done so.

Admittedly, the move requires a shift in expectations around job aspirations and individual purpose, as well as a realistic understanding that personal finance norms around taxes, budgeting, home ownership and wealth accumulation will need changing.

It is a lot to take in, but for a start, I can share what I have learnt from the years I have spent talking to people and covering this topic as manpower correspondent for this news outlet.

WHAT TYPES OF JOBS?

Not everyone sets out wanting a pathway to overseas stints, whether long-term postings or work travel based out of Singapore.

Working towards that first posting is the hardest, with subsequent opportunities usually coming easier after one gains a track record.