Commentary

As one of the major commercial and communications hubs of the world, Singapore houses a number of contact centres catering to countless small and medium-sized businesses that find it difficult to employ full-time personnel to run their mission-critical customer-service operations.  

A recent survey in Singapore suggested that 46% of companies did not see engaging their employees as a priority. What world are they living in as that is an awful lot of people who might just be looking for another job?

Thanks to Yahoo CEO Melissa Meyer there is now a raging debate about whether employees are more effective working from home or whether more creativity flows from people working together at work.

How can Singapore lead the world in yet another aspect of technology or entrepreneurialism while capitalising on one of the world’s highest penetrations of smart phones?

We in Singapore aim and love to be numero uno ay anything and everything, don’t we?

Despite the well publicised, and frequently discussed, downturn facing the shipping and marine industry, two recent employment surveys have produced results which will surprise a number of people. Despite caution across the industry, Singapore is further solidifying its position and an international maritime hub of choice.

Retaining talent is a problem in every industry especially in a small country like Singapore but retaining creative talents in that bubbling cauldron of industries that encompasses design, marketing,advertising, and PR seems to be particularly difficult or so I hear from other CEOs. Thankfully it has never been a big problem for me.

Trainings in Singapore and elsewhere often resemble pop concerts, with the trainers as stars, as sages on stages.

Described as a game-changer, the recent high-speed rail link deal between Malaysia and Singapore stirred up considerable buzz on both sides of the causeway. Jointly announced by both heads of government, it is perceived as both blight and an advantage – causing airline stocks to dip and stock market prices to fluctuate. Set to be completed by 2020, the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed train presents a 90 minute journey between the cities. Whereas a direct flight will take an approximate three hours, including airport transfers and immigration queues. In a recent survey by HRG, it was revealed that business travellers are three times more likely to choose rail over air for rail journeys that are less than three hours. Taking this into account, the upcoming high-speed train seems to be the discerning choice for commuters. Nonetheless, air travel between the two cities are certainly not about to give up without a fight. With a current average of 3 flights to Kuala Lumpur leaving Singapore every hour, airlines provide the greatest flexibility and availability to business travellers, who are often faced with shifting schedules. As such, a grand total of 10 airlines ranging from budget airlines to national carriers proffer 668 flights per week between both destinations.

Singapore’s employment market may be very mature, but in reality its infrastructure could better support the attraction and retention of key local talent.

Recently we were approached by a government linked organisation which had gone through some drastic changes.

This is an article in response to Jacky Tan's article "My Letter to NTUC - Protecting PMEs in Singapore."

Once again, Budget season casts tax in its annual limelight. In the excitement of new incentives, schemes and reliefs, one should not forget the risks that could be associated with managing your company’s tax affairs.

Just as footballers need to turn in their best performances each time they step onto the pitch, the same goes for your executives every time they walk into a prospective client’s boardroom to deliver that deal-clinching pitch.

This is not a piece of commentary about Budget 2013—but in the context of elite sport, community development, and football—it is encouraging that sport participation is becoming an increasingly important part of daily life.

While the internet has created great networking opportunities for businesses and individuals, the value of face-to-face communication should not be forgotten.