KL outranks Singapore for remote work destination, according to 2024 global report

Remote jobs have become commonplace in the post-pandemic world of work, including here in Singapore. 

Even a quick search on job site Indeed would give you more than 2,000 vacancies offering remote positions, as of the time of writing.

How does Singapore compare to the rest of Asia, and the world, when it comes to being a destination for remote work?

Well, according to a 2024 report by global HR firm Remote, Singapore still lags behind other cities worldwide.

In fact, while our next-door neighbour Kuala Lumpur (KL) ranked 22nd in the study, Singapore trailed far behind in 78th place, in between US cities San Francisco and Madison.

The report did not go into much detail on the reasons behind Singapore's ranking, only mentioning that it has been "chosen because it is the best fit to the mix of factor rankings".

On the other hand, the report stated that "fast internet, ample co-working spots, friendly visa conditions make KL an ideal destination" for remote workers.

The city's impressive standing could also be seen as a trend among cities in Asia providing more support for remote work to prosper.

Tokyo landed in fifth, while Taipei and Bangkok ranked higher than Kuala Lumpur, in eighth and 16th place respectively.

In addition, Bangkok and Taipei were found to be the cities with the lowest cost of living among the top 20, according to the survey.

For digital nomads on the lookout for the best location, Report listed Madrid as the top city in the world for remote work.

Madeira in Portugal and Toronto in Canada completed the top three.

Report methodology

With the rise of remote work in a post-pandemic world, Report noted that job opportunities are no longer limited to major urban hubs.

In fact, the HR firm mentioned that this list of 100 cities also includes "true hidden gems".

Remote explained that the global destination rankings are informed by 25 series of data on cities worldwide, spanning eight components.

Among them included internet infrastructure, cost of living, openness and safety.

A new metric that has been added this year is inflation, which can help digital nomads better understand the economic stability of any given city they might be planning to work in.

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amierul@asiaone.com

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