Singapore amongst top 30 best countries for remote work

Singapore also ranked 1st in the digital and physical infrastructure criteria.

Singapore ranks 28th in the world’s best country to work remotely, according to NordLayer’s Global Remote Work Index 2023 report.

The report was established last year to reveal the best and the worst countries to work remotely in terms of four different criteria: cyber safety, economic safety, digital and physical infrastructure, and social safety.

The cyber safety criteria evaluates the country’s digital infrastructure, response capacity, and legal measures. 

The economic safety criteria explores the country’s tourism attractiveness, English language proficiency, cost of living, and healthcare.

Meanwhile, the digital and physical infrastructure assesses the internet quality and affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, and physical infrastructure of the country.

Social safety reviews the country’s personal rights, inclusiveness, and safety.

The report evaluated 108 countries of which Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany stand in the top 3. Followed by Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Estonia. Lithuania, Ireland, and Slovakia, completing the top 10.

How does Singapore rank?
Singapore’s digital and physical infrastructure and e-governance make it a very appealing remote work destination.

In addition, Singapore’s tourism attractiveness and English language proficiency are also some of its great aspects.

In the overall digital and physical infrastructure criteria rankings, Singapore ranks 1st while it ranks 25th in the cyber security criteria rankings.

However, it ranks lower in the other criteria as it sits 40th in the social safety rankings and 68th in economic safety.

In addition, Singapore lags behind other countries significantly in terms of inclusiveness (31)  and personal rights (80). The country’s cost of living is also very high compared to other countries (96).

Singapore as compared to other countries in Southeast Asia

Singapore ranks highly as compared to other countries in Southeast Asia as Malaysia ranks at 41, Thailand at 49, and Indonesia at 68.

However, in terms of economic safety and cyber safety scores, Malaysia ranks higher at 33 and 22 respectively. This is because of Malaysia’s lower cost of living and strong legal system on cybercrime.

Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand ranked highly in tourism attractiveness with Indonesia being the most appealing remote work destination as it has the lowest cost of living in the region.

Remote work and cyber security

“Even though some of the big tech companies recently brought their employees back to the office or introduced a hybrid work model, remote work is here to stay. It’s not just a trend — it is a fundamental shift in how we approach productivity and work-life balance. Embracing remote work empowers our teams to harness their full potential, regardless of geographical boundaries,” Donatas Tamelis, Managing Director at NordLayer said.

Tamelis recommends remote workers to practice good cybersecurity practices such as using VPN, updating devices to the latest software version, public Wi-Fi caution, enabling 2-factor authentication, and using strong and unique passwords.

“In the age of remote work, cybersecurity is not just an option. It's a critical necessity to safeguard our data and protect our organization from evolving cyber threats. Working remotely opens up new opportunities, but it also exposes us to potential security risks. Cybersecurity vigilance is our first line of defense,” Tamelis added.