Constuction/Project Management opportunities

[markinuk]

Hello,
I currently live in the UK and I am a construction project manager for an engineering and construction consulting firm. I graduated from university two years ago with a first in Construction (Project) Management.

I wish to emmigrate to Singapore and I would like some views on the construction/engineering industry in Singapore, specifically;
salary compared to other professions,
current climate of the construction/engineering industry in Singapore,
difficulty in obtaining relevant documents for a constuction project manager,
any other relevant views welcome.

Thank you for your help.

Mark

[H Chinaski]

Hi Mark,

Construction is booming here right now. There are major developments in the commercial sector (E.g. Two huge Casino developments and extensive office/commercial developments for a new central business district) and also infrastructure works (many new MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) contracts). Basically billions of dollars of work within a 2 to 4 year window.

With the increase in construction work, there is a major shortage of skilled project management staff and in my experience salaries have shot up 20 to 40% over the last two years.

If you can secure a position, with your degree qualification you should have no trouble obtaining an employment pass. The Employer will sort all that out for you.

The only thing is at 2 years your experience is a bit limited. I would estimate you could be looking at anything between about S$3.5 to 5K per month (but it can vary greatly depending on the firm and your an expat status)which might not appear to be that brilliant in uk terms, but when you take into account that tax would probably be less than 10% its better to compare by a take home comparison.

I think to command a higher salary you should restrict your job search to the international contractors (E.g. Bovis Lend Lease, Gammon Construction, MCconnel Dowel, Downer, Sembawang (now owned by Punj Loyd Group), CH2MHill and perhaps the Japanese (E.g. Kajima, Shimizu, Obayashi, Sato Kogyo) or consultants (E.g Worley parsons, stapleton, maunsell, Mott Macdonald). As I have suggested to another poster, start your search with a reputable recruitment agency.

Lastly, my only word of caution would be that with the booming economy, the cost of living has also gone up significantly. When I arrived here 15 years ago it was perfectly feasible to rent private shared accommodation (Condominium). Rentals have gone through the roof now. So you'd probably want an accommodation allowance as part of your employment package.

IMHO Singapore is a brilliant place to live and very modern. There are cultural differences (Some fascinating, some irritating), but I still believe there's an eastern charm here. Weather is good, food is wonderful, the women are beautiful and its the safest city on the planet.

Good luck.

Pete