Malaysia – Singapore relationships have existed for a very long time ago. The relationship between both countries deeply rooted in history, with their connections dating back centuries.
Before the arrival of European colonial powers, the regions that are now Singapore and Malaysia were part of various Malay Kingdoms and Sultanates.
Before 1511, Temasik (later known as Singapore) once was a part of Malacca Empire before the fall down of the empire after the arrival of the Portuguese.
After the Portuguease era was over, Temasik was then took over by The Johore-Riau-Lingga-Pahang Sultanate, before it was divided into two different block between the Dutch and the British during the colonial powers.
Over the decades, Singapore and Malaysia have cooperated on various issues, including trade, security, infrastructure projects. In this article we will share to you about Malaysians in Singapore! Without waiting any longer let us start.
Introduction
According to Wikipedia Worldometer, it is estimated that there are around 1 million Malaysians living in Singapore. This includes both permanent residents and those on work passes yet not included those working in Singapore but stay in Johor Bharu.
Malaysians make up the largest group of foreign nationals in Singapore, considering this is a significant portion of the city state’s population.
Over the years, the increasing in migration of Malaysians to Singapore has been a popular topic in both countries. While the easiest reason for this migration is due to economic opportunities (For working purposes due the huge currency value), we will outline some of the factors that have led to this migration.
Ease of Access
First and foremost we will talking about the distance. By geographically the close proximity of Malaysia to Singapore makes it easier for Malaysians, especially from Johor Bahru, to travel Singapore for working purposes.
In fact, the well-developed transport links, good public transport services in both countries make daily commuting feasible for Malaysians who work in Singapore but live in Johor. Or vise versa for those Singaporean want to take short vacay to Malaysia by public transport or by their own vehicles during weekends.
This is the biggest attraction and the advantages of working Malaysians in Singapore. Those who working in Singapore but stay in Johor Bharu, these peoples earn Singaporean Dollar and spend them in Johor Malaysia at the end of the month. In other words, their salary per month should be three times higher than normal rate salary in Malaysia for the same job scopes especially those working in IT Services industry.
Cultural and Language Similarities
Apart from the easy access among Malaysians to Singapore, the cultural and linguistic similarities between Singapore and Malaysia reduce the cultural shock for Malaysians working in Singapore, making the transition smoother. Once Singapore was one of the states in Federation of Malaysia in 1963 before expelled out in 1965 yet the family ties between both countries still strong.
At present days although Singaporean Malays and Singaporean Chinese not all of them are able to speak fluently in Malays or Mandarin, but the Malaysians still able to communicate in English.
Hence almost no language barrier when Malaysians working in Singapore since in Malaysia also use English as second language of the country. Unless if you are from the countries where English is not practise in your country for administration or business purposes.
Also read: Stories of Three Nations in ASEAN
Higher Wages
Singapore is the richest country in South East Asia following by Brunei and Malaysia. In 2024, Singapore’s GDP per capita is approximately $113,779 SGD. There is a decline happened compared to the previous year. However, when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), the GDP per capita is estimated to be around $102,742 USD.
Singapore offers higher wages compared to Malaysia, making it an attractive destination for job seekers. This wage differential has continued to draw Malaysians to Singapore, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and IT.
We observed the trending in LinkedIn and Indeed as well while Kongsi Lah! crew found that there is an increasing IT Job opportunities in Singapore in 2024.
Stable Employment Environment
Many MNC Companies preferred to build HQ in Singapore for many reasons. As per our observations, recently many big IT companies such as Google, Microsoft, AWS and many more invest there. When this happened, this will create a stable employment environment in the country herself.
Singapore’s stable and growing economy provides a reliable job market, which is particularly appealing during times of economic uncertainty in other regions.
Safety and Security
The last and not least, many Malaysians youth prefer to work in Singapore due to the quality of life in Singapore. Among the countries in South East Asia, only Singapore has been frequently listed in Global Peace Index, Safe Cities Index by The Economist, and the Gallup Law and Order Index, all of which measure safety based on crime rates, civil unrest, and other factors.
Those working Malaysians staying in Singapore will never got headache and feel insecure while walking 24/7 in this small city country. On top of that Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates globally. The strict law enforcement, harsh penalties for criminal activities, and a strong police presence contribute to its reputation for safety and also integrity.
Conclusions
There are increasing trend for Malaysian looking for better job opportunities in Singapore. Based on our research we found that the big four (4) reasons behind the rose of this migration among Malaysian to Singapore. Despite of working and staying in Singapore, in some industry such as IT services, most of the jobs offers are the hybrid mode environment and some of them fully remote jobs and this led the working Malaysians in Singapore will choose to stay in Johor Bharu while travel to Singapore on daily basis by motorcycle or maybe 2-3 days in a week and the remaining days will go for Working From Home.
I hope you gained something from this article “Working Malaysians in Singapore”. If you mind to share your thoughts or have more inquires related to this article please drop your comments below or else, you may contact us by hit on “Contact Us” button on the tab menus.
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