Commentary

As a career counsellor in Singapore, I often get asked questions such as:

In an age where consumers have a wealth of information and choices, there are multiple substitutes to numerous products. Think of food, electric appliances, banking services to grooming products, consumers are spoilt for choice. So why would they choose your products?

In my presentation to local SMEs during SCCCI’s 15th SMEs Conference & 16th Infocomm-Commerce Conference in mid August this year, I touched upon how local businesses in Singapore can benefit from a well-planned online presence.

According to the PrimeStaff Q4 2013 Employment Outlook Report, the recruitment landscape for Q4 should remain fairly healthy with hiring activities expected to remain buoyant, and even escalate for some industries. 

For eight consecutive years since 2006, Singapore has held the crown for the World’s Easiest Place to Do Business, according to the World Bank. This is quite an achievement, and is made possible by the relentless revisions and additions to the pro-business policies of the Singapore government.

Employers are seeking professionals such as Internal Auditors, Underwriters and Business Development Managers in Singapore, while candidate movement and the need to refill critical roles is impacting hiring decisions.

It’s Monday morning. You’re about to chair a disciplinary meeting and your staff has just ‘liked’ your bikini selfie in Thailand over the weekend – might be a little harder to convince them about appropriate behavior now.

        Singapore’s average wealth per adult is currently US$282,000 (5th in the world)         The number of High-Net-Worth (HNW) individuals rose 21.5% in 2012         HNW Individuals hold USD 857 billion in wealth         The number of HNW individuals in Singapore expected to rise 58% by 2017         HNW Individual wealth expected to surpass USD 1.38 trillion by 2017         Assets under management across Singapore hit a record high of USD 1.29 trillion The degree of wealth shifting to Singapore is truly staggering so it is important to look at why wealthy individuals from across the globe are seeking to make Singapore their new home. Highlighted below are some of the key reasons we are seeking such rapid growth in the number of HNW individuals shifting to Singapore.

Companies today, including those in Singapore, are facing up to two hard realities: first, they cannot sit back and hope for the recovery of mature markets; second, volatility on many fronts including domestic economies, currencies and commodity prices is a way of business life.

The US economy has made steady progress since the financial meltdown in 2008. While the recovery is a slow and painful process, there are more glitters of hope to be seen in America.

The new Fair Consideration Framework has evolved based on feedback from the ‘Our SG Conversation’ national dialogue sessions with the Singapore population comprising working adults and the PME group in question. 

Singapore has a unique culture when it comes to sales. As someone who has studied, compared and developed insights about the selling economies around the world, I like to describe Singapore’s sales culture as “transactional.”

Many people in Singapore complain that they don’t have time to make themselves healthy at work. Too hot to go out beyond malls, long fatty lunches in food courts and hawker centres, fatty coffees and sweets at irregular times, no time for exercise combined with static working at desks makes Singaporeans potentially unhealthy at work.

In recent years, more and more Singaporeans have decided to abandon the old traditional Singapore dream of working for an employer and climbing the corporate ladder. These folks have the desire to have a more flexible work schedule and of course enjoy the thrill of being their own boss.

The number of millionaires in Singapore is on the rise. Last year, the number increased 10.3 percent to hit 101,000.

One of the most casual and common question you get asked in life is “What do you do for a living?”