New global research shows 84% of Singapore workers would like to move abroad but mobility opportunities are in short supply as areas of economic stability beckon.

Singapore, March 5, 2009 – Professional workers in Singapore are strongly motivated by opportunities for mobility in their jobs with four out of five (84%) interested in either a regional or international move, according to new research commissioned by Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS). Despite this desire, the Managing Mobility Report, conducted by independent research company Loudhouse, shows that 2 out of 5 (40%) Singapore workers have not had the opportunity to move location in the past three years.

As global economies continue to suffer and Singapore remains in a recession, upwardly mobile professional workers will look for opportunities that provide economic and job security. According to the report, the main motivation of mobility in Singapore was the quality of job opportunity (74%), followed by potential to earn more (62%) with the opportunity to experience a new culture or travel seen as the least important factor (59%).

Compared with other regions, Singapore’s professional workers were the most willing (49%) to move overseas in a similar position to their current job, with the global average at 42%. Recognising this appetite for change is becoming crucial for organisations as they seek to nurture their top performers. Employers in Singapore placed the highest encouragement on mobility compared with other regions, but still remained low at only 27%.

Alison Baird, Client Director of Asia-Pacific at Alexander Mann Solutions comments, “It is evident that employees want fresh challenges and opportunities for mobility in their careers, and 84% of those surveyed in Singapore have reflected this desire. International jobs are given much more value, with global experience being recognised. However, such placement opportunities aren’t always available for employees, and in Singapore, we see a result of 40% having had no experience of mobility in the past 3 years. With a gap between ‘supply and demand’, organisations face losing their top talent to competitors who can provide global career experience.”

It isn’t just Singapore employees looking to re-locate. According to the report, 78% of professional workers around the world were interested in a regional or international move. In most continents, international experience is seen as a career benefit.

The global view of mobility:

  • Hong Kong – In addition to Singapore workers, motivation for international mobility in Hong Kong is also high as opportunities to gain exposure to western working environments is highly prized – both from a remuneration and status viewpoint. International experience is seen as essential to achieving valuable learning and exposure to Western working practices. Good regional opportunities for mobility combined with strong language skills help secure international placements that in turn attract headhunters.
  • Australia – Employees from Australia view overseas work as key to development, especially work in the UK and Ireland where it is almost standard practice. Opportunities are on the rise in other regions such as Asia Pacific but recruits may need to overcome additional challenges such as cultural naturalisation.
  • UK – Respondents in the UK confirmed a high desire for internationally mobility. These results come as the European Commission predicts the UK is facing the worst recession of any large European economy. Regardless of these aspirations, UK workers had the lowest exposure to mobility openings, as just 7% secured previous international placements.
  • US – The US is the only region where international opportunities are seen as less important (except in specific industries). Here, more focus is placed on regional and departmental mobility opportunities especially those that can lead to career progression. Markets such as finance are seeing a growth in international movement to areas perceived as being more dynamic than at home.

Billy Hamilton-Stent from research agency Loudhouse comments, “Mobility is clearly a component part of the modern professional worker’s career aspirations and a trend we will undoubtedly see grow. The question now is how this will be impacted by today’s economy. If the growing economic instability of various regions leads to employees feeling their job, company or local economy is unstable, then this trend could be exacerbated, leading to a change to the traditional flows of employee traffic that is unlikely to be reversed.”

Alison Baird continues, “In a difficult time for employers, these results show that mobility is a real driver for employees. Providing well-managed mobility opportunities not only helps improve the employee’s skills but it also helps retention levels in the company and improves the employer brand. In the next two years we will see professionals with the skills and motivation to find and secure jobs in other areas benefit from the current global economic instability. These upwardly mobile individuals have a lot to offer those who employ them.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

Methodology

The Managing Mobility Report was conducted by Loudhouse, on behalf of Alexander Mann Solutions in Q4 2008 to explore why mobility matters. The results are from a survey of 1,400 professional and senior level workers from markets around the world to gain insight into their views, expectations, motivations, and experiences around career mobility. The markets covered included the UK, Asia Pacific, Australia and the US.

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is working with an external partner to improve the way a company moves people in, around and out of an organisation. This may include internal mobility, career management, redeployment, contingent workforce and outplacement.

About Alexander Mann Solutions

Alexander Mann Solutions was started in 1996 by Rosaleen Blair, the Veuve Clicquot 2007 Business Woman of the Year, as a venture subsidiary of the Alexander Mann Group, a recruitment firm. AMS has grown rapidly and, after disposals, now represents the entire group. A December 2007 management buyout was backed by Graphite Capital, and the company recently acquired Capital Consulting, a leading RPO player operating in Europe and Asia Pacific. AMS is now recognised as the global leader in RPO* with over 1,200 people working in over 60 countries. AMS recruited over 50,000 permanent staff and conducted over 350,000 contingent worker transactions on behalf of its clients in 2008. AMS manages contractor, internal mobility, referral, graduate and talent programmes and its clients typically sign up for multi-year contracts and outsource all of their recruitment. AMS professionals are typically embedded in client companies and work alongside the client teams, allowing them to focus on their core business.

In addition to pure play RPO solutions, AMS also offers a range of bespoke Professional Services in areas such as employer branding, assessment and selection and recruitment technology consultancy. It also offers an instant RPO solution, AMS OnDemand, designed for organisations which want the advantages of a FTSE 100 recruitment solution but don’t have the resources or recruitment volumes.

*HRO Today magazine named AMS as the 2008 Global Market Leader in the Baker’s Dozen, an annual listing of the top 13 RPO providers.

www.alexandermannsolutions.com

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