Turn talent mobility into your next competitive advantage

As Singapore’s AI economy prepares for the next phase of growth, organisations must understand how talent moves.

Singapore has long built its competitive edge by attracting talent from around the world. This advantage is set to grow even stronger as the country prepares to launch a dedicated ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track in January 2027. With this new pathway, Singapore is better positioned to attract and retain highly specialised AI and technology professionals. 

For employers, hiring the right people is as important as understanding where talent comes from, where it is going, and what drives those movements.

This is where Deel's latest Global Talent Migration: The Geopolitics Report provides valuable insight. The report examines workforce mobility trends around the world to give organisations a clearer view of where specialised talent is concentrated. It also draws on real-time data to show where talent is going, what they earn, and what breaks down when global mobility infrastructure is not in place.

Singapore's evolving talent landscape

The report paints a compelling picture of Singapore's role in the global talent landscape. It attests to Singapore’s deep regional integration, showing that citizens from India, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines make up the largest groups of foreign nationals in the workforce.

Many of these professionals work in roles that underpin digital transformation, such as computer network professionals, systems analysts, and management and organisation analysts, the occupations with the highest proportion of foreign talent in Singapore.

According to Lauren Thomas, Economist at Deel, these trends reflect growing demand and an evolving labour market.

“Across our data, we’re seeing that companies competing for international talent are competing on quality, not cost. They are building hiring pipelines across multiple markets and visa routes, rather than relying on a single country or programme, because the real constraint is access to specialised skills,” she said, highlighting how the upcoming ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track is a timely move to address this shortage.

"For most companies, the challenge is not deciding to hire globally but navigating the immigration and compliance maze that comes with it. That is why many are investing in mobility infrastructure that gives them a single view of every visa and work permit case, reduces manual handoffs, and flags issues early. Deel Mobility is one example: it manages visa and work permit applications, compliance tracking and relocation support across more than 100 countries, and connects directly to HR systems so HR teams can focus on hiring instead of chasing case updates across inboxes,” she added.

The report reveals another side of Singapore's workforce story. Whilst the country continues to attract regional talent, an increasing number of Singaporeans are looking for career opportunities beyond Southeast Asia, particularly in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The findings also noted that Singaporeans working overseas tend to gravitate towards developed, English-speaking economies.  

These mobility trends show how Singapore plays a dual role in the global talent landscape as a destination for international professionals and a source of global talent. This two-way flow positions Singapore as a globally connected talent hub, where skills and expertise move across borders in both directions

Talent mobility is not simply an HR consideration, but a strategic business issue. Having an understanding of these movements allows organisations to anticipate hiring challenges and, more importantly, to identify new opportunities to access specialised skills.

Turning mobility insights into workforce strategy

As businesses race to build AI capabilities, organisations also need to think about how they develop, retain, and deploy talent in a borderless labour market.

This is why employers should take a broader view of workforce development. Today, many employers have begun to consider the importance of combining technical expertise with human capabilities. For organisations, this means thinking beyond immediate recruitment needs. 

Hence, organisations should focus on building a workforce with both technical proficiency, transferable capabilities, and practical industry knowledge. As technology continues to evolve, long-term investment in upskilling and reskilling programmes will be essential to ensure employees can keep pace.

To build this kind of workforce, better visibility into global talent movements is required. This is where Deel supports organisations. Deel not only helps hire internationally whilst remaining compliant, but it also provides the insights needed to better understand workforce movement, identify where skilled talent is located, and make informed workforce decisions.

“As companies scale and expand into new markets, their global mobility strategy is evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly borderless workforce. This includes planning, managing and executing the movement of workers across borders, as well as covering visa sponsorship, work permit compliance, relocation, and crisis response,” Thomas said.

Beyond these insights, Deel has a unified platform where organisations manage global hiring, payroll, compliance, and Employer of Record services in a single automated system. This reduces the operational complexity of managing an international workforce whilst remaining compliant across multiple markets.

As Singapore enters its next phase as a global AI hub, talent will remain one of its greatest competitive advantages. Organisations that understand mobility trends, invest in skills, and build workforce strategies based on real-world data are the ones equipped to navigate an increasingly borderless world of work. 

Through Deel’s insights, such as Global Talent Migration: The Geopolitics Report and the global workforce platform, businesses are capable of turning talent mobility from an operational challenge into a strategic advantage.

To learn more about Deel and its offerings, click here.