Destination Singapore – growing aviation hub open for expats
Frequently named as the global transport hub of Asia Pacific’s region, Singapore is home for the 6th busiest airport worldwide and most intense air cargo hub in Asia. Moreover, the country has recently attracted attention of aviation specialists as one of the best places to relocate for not only high-level career opportunities, but also luxurious living standards, well-developed family policies and perfect connectivity to travel around stunning vacation locations of Indian and Pacific Ocean.
Today, the so called “Lion city” hosts the world’s best airport – Changi International Airport, serves 106 airlines, connects over 250 cities in 60 countries and this year registered a record of almost 59 000 000 foreign visitors. Strategic geographic location with excellent connectivity, soon-to-be opened Changi Airport’s terminal 4 are forecasted to increase the demand for new aviation professionals.
Nevertheless, the need is said to be firmly passing by the current local aviation specialists’ supply, which is approximately estimated to be around 1000 new workers per year. According to the Association of Aerospace Industries Singapore (AAIS), only 60-70% of aviation positions are being filled by local employees. To compensate the shortfall, companies rely on foreigners employment. Due to recent Singapore-based airlines, such as Scoot or Tigerair, expansion in terms of aircraft fleet and increased number of flights in the region, the need for both cockpit and cabin crew is increasing constantly.
Together with increasing demand, a great variety of job-related benefits also raise foreigners’ awareness of Singapore as alternative relocation destination. Airlines based in Singapore are well-known among aviation professionals as one of the most generous in terms of employees’ salaries. Depending on experience, pilots in Singapore can earn $126k-$215k per year as base salary, though total compensation with cash bonuses and other benefits can reach $232k-$249k per year. Despite the fact that salaries may range depending on the past record, Singapore still offers one of the most competitive wages in Asia, these are more than enough to cover housing, transportation and food needs. Other work-related gains include profit-sharing bonuses, medical benefits, generous family-related schemes, including baby bonuses, scholarships for free education, and various other social programs.
“Singapore-based air carriers not only offer salaries that are typical for many pilot-hungry Asian airlines, but also trigger the positive mouth-to-mouth stories sharing about working in Singapore. These factors cause increased number of inquiries from employees’ side as well 
and I presume will only rise in the upcoming future,“ comments Skaiste Knyzaite, CEO of AviationCV.com. “Though Singaporean employers truly have high standards for candidates, they have much more to offer in turn. More than 70% of employees we’ve hired aim to prolong their contracts and the vast majority of them stay with the most positive experiences.”
The obvious unique career perspectives are complemented by other country’s benefits related to daily life. According to World Economic Forum research (2017), Singapore is the 2nd safest country in the world, measured by different metrics from personal security to corporate crime. The country is often called the cultural hub – 64% of the current population is comprised of foreigners. It makes expatriates the great majority of society, which undoubtedly facilitates their adaptation and in many cases even ends up in family creation.
“Many young pilots create their families in Singapore and stay there for a while. Considered as a role model for educational system, Singapore hosts countless international schools and has extremely well-developed infrastructure in terms of public transport and healthcare for children. Family-friendly policies that support fertility growth by providing cash benefits also are helping young families to settle down for longer,” adds Skaiste.
One of the most important features that foreigners tend to share is the luxurious quality of life, which is considered to be a norm there. The majority of the residents live in housing with pools, have private maids, eat out at prestigious restaurants at relatively low costs as this is usual for everyone. On the other hand, there are always cheaper alternatives, such as simple HDB-type flats, which are very similar to European style block of flats housing or cheaper food courts.
The perfect location in the center of South-east Asian region offers the luxury of often travelling to explore one of the most beautiful places on globe at ridiculously low costs. With few hours’ flight for $50-$100 to bustling Hong Kong or the heart of Asian cuisine Hanoi or endless white sand beaches in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia or Philippines. You’ll definitely afford deluxe weekend there at Hilton class resort, which will cost less than a stay at midrange SPA for the weekend in Europe. The island-state is also widely admired due to contrasting leisure activities: from clean parks to bustling night clubs on the skyscraper’s terrains and a number of museums or traditional street-food markets. There is always something anyone will find to do in the famous Lion city.
