“Out of 4,980 global candidates, only eight of us were chosen as the lucky ones.” After going through seven rounds of interviews in the UK, Alicia stood out among 4,980 candidates worldwide and became the sole candidate to join a leading American financial company’s Singapore office.
When recalling the experience to a journalist from Southern Weekly, Alicia still felt a bit nervous. She said, “I was the only Chinese candidate who was accepted.”
Alicia didn’t mention the specific name of the company, only that it is located in Singapore’s Marina Bay. She said, “The company has rented an entire office building, and there are over 5,000 employees in Singapore alone.”
In 2022, after graduating from the National University of Singapore’s Business School, she went through numerous company recruitment interviews.
Considering salary, company strength, and future development, she eventually accepted an offer from this American financial company’s Singapore office. In the process, she also gave up a job offer from a state-owned enterprise in Beijing.
Now, Alicia has to attend six or seven meetings daily, responsible for liaising with clients from Southeast Asian countries and evaluating their investment strategies. At the same time, she has become one of the many Chinese people living in Singapore.
Located along the Strait of Malacca, Singapore is covered in greenery and enjoys a perpetual summer. In recent times, Singapore, with its land area of only 733 square kilometers, has experienced a “gold rush,” attracting multinational companies, entrepreneurs, and the middle class from around the world to flock to this “Garden City of the World.” In September 2022, events like Superreturn Asia and Token2049 were held in Singapore, pushing the gold rush to its peak for global investors, web3, and blockchain industry professionals.
According to data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, 1,500 family offices were established in 2022.
Entering 2023, the enthusiasm for Singapore has cooled down due to rising living costs, stricter work visa regulations, and significant layoffs by global internet companies.
