Singapore has demonstrated its ability to adapt its workforce to sudden disruptions and keep the ongoing crisis in check as the world’s second-most globally connected country during the Covid-19 pandemic. Remote work is becoming more popular than regular on-site office hours and traditional office space. The good news for software engineers who prefer remote work: Singapore-based companies are turning to global remote hiring.

Interest in remote work is up 556%

According to a recent Lemon.io study, the following trends in Google searches were discovered:

• Searches for “work when you want remote jobs” have risen by 556%
• Searches for “what remote jobs are in demand” are up 357%
• Searches for “remote positions” and “remote part-time jobs” are up 85% and 105%, respectively, reaching an all-time high.

Companies are reconsidering their plans for large, centralized office spaces as a result of this global trend. This could be a permanent change. Instead of being an added benefit for valued employees, flexible working arrangements will become the norm in certain industries, especially in tech firms

Remote work will more likely be permanent in Singapore

With experts predicting that the coronavirus will be with us forever, remote work schemes are more likely to be the future of business. Most Singaporeans want flexible or hybrid working to continue after the Covid-19 pandemic is over. According to Microsoft’s survey, this figure is higher than the global average of 73% because 82% of Singaporean employees surveyed want flexible remote work conditions to stay.

Microsoft recently conducted a Work Trends study that included over 30,000 people from 31 countries, including Singapore. More than 82% of the 1,002 workers surveyed in Singapore want flexible remote work options to stay.

According to Lark, a technology company, and Milieu Insight, an online market research firm, 94%of professionals, managers, and executives (PMEs) want flexible work arrangements to continue. Even at the peak of the pandemic in 2020, the resident workforce demonstrated adaptability to new remote work arrangements. Between April and June 2020, both employers and employees reported an increase in productivity.

Singapore companies are turning to remote hiring in the face of a tech talent shortage.

Scouring for tech talent has long been a challenge for companies in Singapore, an island with a population of just 5.7 million.  With more global and regional technology companies establishing a presence in Singapore, the talent hunt has become even more intense, prompting businesses to actively pursue remote hiring.

Acceptance of the pandemic-induced telecommuting culture that has prevailed for over two years has also accelerated the trend of remote hiring from neighboring geographies.

Since last year, tech giants like Zoom, Stripe, ByteDance, Tencent, Huawei, and Alibaba have established new offices and headquarters in Singapore, competing with Sea Limited and Grab, which are aggressively expanding. The growing demand for talent from the larger players has made it increasingly difficult for smaller businesses to find qualified candidates. The remote working trend emphasizes Singapore’s precarious position as Southeast Asia’s tech hub.

Access to a more diverse talent pool

Remote work has opened up more recruitment opportunities for companies. Telecommuting and collaborative tech tools mean that companies can effectively manage a diverse, global talent pool. Singapore tech companies are looking for remote software engineers, especially in countries in South East Asia like Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia… . This can be a huge advantage for Vietnam software engineers who want to advance their IT careers and earn higher compensation.

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