Average salary for engineers in singapore

[wingwingdei]

Good evening,

I've also been looking at possibly of making the move and been wondering what is the expected rate for engineers in Singapore. How much lower approximately are the realized packages as compared to as quoted by hays and the like?

Currently I have around 4.5 years experience working in a offshore oil/gas construction company. My base is $125aud; would the equivalent base in Singapore be asking too much even considering my overseas exposure? I want to move Singapore for the experience, but not really prepared for a cut in salary due to mortgages back home. And with the revised taxation laws in Australia, makes taking a pay cut even harder to swallow.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Don't forget you will need to reduce the package by around 20% minimum as the offshore O&G rates are considerably inflated due to hardship. You'll not have the same on a land based job. You need to compare apples with apples.

[ksl]

Don't forget you will need to reduce the package by around 20% minimum as the offshore O&G rates are considerably inflated due to hardship. You'll not have the same on a land based job. You need to compare apples with apples.

Though don't forget if residing in Singapore, that you will be living in the 9th most expensive city in the world. The strong sing$ helped push the index up from 64th position, which means you need to have your perks increased if moving here!

Those figures quoted from Hays look a bit high to me.

I think one may see wage increases in Singapore by the end of 2010 China is also increasing wages, which will push up Singaporean wages too, considering the inflow of immigrants. Less immigrants means more money paid out for Singaporeans to be employed. Though I maybe wrong!

Singaporean expats will get less income when leaving Singapore due to the strong $, they won't need so much.....arguing the point with HR will not be easy if the trend remains.

[wingwingdei]

Don't forget you will need to reduce the package by around 20% minimum as the offshore O&G rates are considerably inflated due to hardship. You'll not have the same on a land based job. You need to compare apples with apples.

Ah nuts, I thought the offshore rates were base for working in an offshore company and any hardship experienced with travel are an uplift or extra rate on top of that....

Definitely would require further negotiations for other allowances to justify the change. On a general search on various jobs sites (as I've identified on your link in your signature), there does not seem to be much advertised in the way of packages catering for foreign engineers. Has there been a large refocus towards local professionals or am I just looking in the wrong places?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Most of what you will see in the local job boards are not jobs suitable for experienced expats but more for local/regional "engineers" which in Singapore Speak means "technicians" but they call them engineers for face. That way, the local is happy working for less money but is happy because his business card calls him an engineer.

The oil & gas industries, mid to upper engineering levels, you will do better looking for positions advertised in Australia, UK, Canada & the US (for positions in S.E.Asia). Most of the MNC's hire from overseas and send here. In the Refineries here, you will see these types of positions occasionally in the Appointments section of the local birdcage liner on Saturday mornings but again, if they are senior appointments or niche engineering skills, again, it's the overseas headhunters with their broader reach who have the positions for the rest of the world.

Uplift? For Singapore? You gotta be kidding. Living & working in Singapore you will find is better than where you come from. There is no hardship to working here at all. The hardship might the rental costs and/or schooling costs, but this, a third world country, it is not! The biggy here is the fact that, if you are Australian and can qualify to get away from Aus tax implications, the tax rates here are extremely low so the 20% uplift you get on the same salary just in the tax rate difference. Work on the net as opposed to the gross and then do come comparative analysis. But at the same time, never agree to come for less as the tax differential is what the employer is going to use to try to sell you. But if you do that, guess what happens when you return to Oz - You probably would have to return to your old Aus salary because you "agreed" to work for less in Asia.

sms

[sundaymorningstaple]

Good evening,

I've also been looking at possibly of making the move and been wondering what is the expected rate for engineers in Singapore. How much lower approximately are the realized packages as compared to as quoted by hays and the like?

Currently I have around 4.5 years experience working in a offshore oil/gas construction company. My base is $125aud; would the equivalent base in Singapore be asking too much even considering my overseas exposure? I want to move Singapore for the experience, but not really prepared for a cut in salary due to mortgages back home. And with the revised taxation laws in Australia, makes taking a pay cut even harder to swallow.

I guess I should ask you to qualify your statement about work in an offshore oil/gas construction company. Do you means offshore as in literally (installation of rigs off the coast of Australia) or figuratively, working for a Non-Australian Company?

Singapore does not have any offshore O&G construction per se, but lots of offshore construction companies are based here as well as lots of employees living here but that's about the extent of it. It's a transit point for the rest of Asia. I did it for 12 years here, living in Singapore but traveling throughout the region on a 2 & 1 schedule wherever that job was.

[wingwingdei]

Ah, rereading my previous statement I can see where the confusion lie.

I do mean it in the literal sense (ie installation of subsea flowlines, manifolds, FPSO, mooring etc...). I am based in an office environment, but does on occasion require travel to site (ie north west shelf, bass strait, timor sea etc..)

So when i refer to uplift, i meant for when on site and not in Singapore.

Guess what I am looking for is a similar arrangement, but based in Singapore rather than Perth, with the occasional travel to site, be it offshore Australia or other parts in Asia.

True, the taxes do appear much lower compared with Australia, but with the lower exchange of the sgd, I think it balances out. But the bigger issue I believe lies in the revised taxation regulations for working abroad from Australia. I think the minimum time overseas have been increased for tax exemptions as well as a minefield of new requirements regarding intention to move and asset ownership that makes it a bit of risk upon return with the ATO :S Just a little more fearful as its only been just introduced for this financial year, so not to many cases to refer to as of yet for how to get through it.

Thanks for your insight, I shall try and search through the Aus/uk/us etc sites first. I did find it a little confusing too when trying to match the job roles of various engineering positions with roles:P

[wingwingdei]

oh, and paying 5 series money for a corolla is hardship! LOL

[the lynx]

Hi tmtmy, I do have a job opening for you, i am currently looking to hire engineers with mechanical engineering degree. Kindly PM me and we can speak further. Thank you (:

tmtmy is probably earning twice the initial income then by now.

This is a 3-year old thread you dug up!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Lynx, that's why recruiters here have such a bad name here for being unprofessional.....