Expats on local terms

Zaobao.com reported that the perception that expats make much more income than locals may not be entirely correct.

A recent survey on 79 companies in Singapore (some are MNCs) showed that only 14% of the companies differentiate between expats and locals in terms of remuneration.

The same survey found that foreign employees with specialised knowledge in areas such as information technology and financial services are typically paid 10% to 20% more than locals.

The 80,000 employees from 21 nationalities who responded to the survey generally make $2,500 to $5,000 per month.

My question: why are there still so many expatriates who can afford the high rentals in expensive districts, so much so that there's a recent mini "boom" in the rental market?

http://www.salary.sg/2007/expats-on-local-terms/

I guess, their housing allowances are high, but basic salaries are just average??

Andy, not true. The <i>real</i> expats working in MNCs here make big money.

i know a few japanese expats. They have a "local" salary excluding housing,transportation allowance which the company will cover for them and while still recieving main salary in their homeland(nippon). Yes their basic salaries here are about the same or slightly better in Singapore

Expat packages are complex. In my ex-company, Expats (senior executives) receive on average SGD$20K or about USD$14K. Considered 'normal' since they need to be remunerated at similar pay scale in their home country.

However, the 'extras' often include the following :
- Company sponsored rental (on avg. SGD$4k - SGD$8k)
- International School Tuition (not sure how much)
- Transportation expense (i.e. car)
- Additional bonuses (on top of a similarly ranked local employee) This is often irregardless of the annual KPI scores

Just my 2 cents worth.

Personally, I think expats are different from foreign nationals on local terms. At least, in my previous company, we separated these two. Expats are of high management positions and usually have high salaries while being provided with cars and housing.

On the other hand, foreign nationals on local terms may or may not get a housing allowance and would have a much lower pay. The Japanese & Koreans in my previous company came to work in Singapore on local terms so they had to bear housing costs by themselves.

One Japanese friend of mine who is working in Singapore on local terms is taking home relatively good pay but still bearing the rent on his own. (Takes away quite a portion of his pay.)

The jap expats in my bank have a rental allowance of S$7K together with allowances for their kids to study international schools as well as a small hardship allowance pocket money.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The jap expats in my bank have a rental allowance of S$7K together with allowances for their kids to study international schools as well as a small hardship allowance pocket money.

if allowance alone is close to 10k, does that mean their actual salary is close to 20k?

when will singapore conglomerates send singaporeans to overseas offices as expats?