migrating after graduation

Did you see this in the newspaper a few days ago?

From The Straits Times:

SINGAPORE is a top immigration hot spot, according to a global survey conducted by Gallup.

If it were to take in all adults who wish to settle in the country, its adult population of 3.6 million would jump to 13 million, said the survey released this week.

Gallup arrived at this figure by using what it called the Potential Net Migration Index (PNMI).

The index is the estimated number of adults who wish to leave a country permanently subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate to the country, as a proportion of the total adult population.

The higher a positive PNMI value, the greater the potential of net population gain, proportional to the population size.

Singapore emerged tops with the highest PNMI value of 260 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (180 per cent), New Zealand (175 per cent), Canada (170 per cent) and Australia (145 per cent).

Countries with highest PNMI*

1. Singapore (+260 per cent)

2. Saudi Arabia (+180 per cent)

3. New Zealand (+175 per cent)

4. Canada (+170 per cent)

5. Australia (+145 per cent)

* The PNMI is the estimated number of adults who wish to leave a country permanently subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate to the country, as a proportion of the total adult population.

Top destinations (by country)

1. United States

2. Canada

3. Britain

4. France

5. Spain

Top sources of potential migrants (by region)

1. Sub-Saharan Africa

2. Middle East and North Africa

3. Europe

4. Americas

5. Asia

Looks like Singapore is a pretty popular destination in the region. Yet you often hear Singaporeans wanting to emigrate once they have enough money, perhaps to “nicer” places such as Australia or Europe. How come we don’t appreciate what we have? Perhaps it is just a case of  “the grass is always greener on the other side.” Hence Singaporeans want to emigrate to other countries, while people from other countries want to emigrate to Singapore.

I don’t think I would want to emigrate to another country. One thing that I like about Singapore is that it’s small. This means things and places are never too far away. Hungry at night? Many places in Singapore are 24 hours and you can always find a place to eat somewhere in your neighbourhood. Even if you can’t, there’s probably a 7-11 a stone’s throw away. In fact, you can travel from one end of the island to the other end in only about an hour via the MRT.

Indeed, perhaps some Singaporeans have grown too used to this convenience that we have. In many other countries, you wouldn’t have this convenience and ease of travel. Then again, perhaps those people are tired of Singapore’s hectic lifestyle and want to look for a quieter place to settle down. I guess it is a matter of personal preference. For me, I enjoy the fast-paced life in Singapore, and I wouldn’t want to move to a place where everything is quiet and life “stops” after sundown.

Do you want to emigrate as well? Or do you love Singapore like me?