SINGAPORE - Major global technology companies are expanding their operations here and creating opportunities for Singaporeans, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday, as he underlined the need for Singapore to remain a nation of opportunity for all.

Mr Lee was speaking to residents in his constituency, Ang Mo Kio GRC, at a Chinese New Year dinner where he shared what he had learnt from his recent week-long visit to the United States for a US-Asean Summit.

He also visited tech giants in Silicon Valley and caught up with Singaporeans in San Francisco.

They have noticed that Singapore is changing year by year, whether it is old housing estates being upgraded, park connectors springing up or healthcare affordability being tackled, added Mr Lee.

He also said he encouraged the 200 to 300 Singaporeans he met to one day return here and contribute to society and the economy.

Many of them said they missed Singapore and wanted to come back to raise their children here, or because they saw opportunities for themselves, he said.

As for tech giants, they hold Singapore in high regard even though it is a small country and costs are not low, said Mr Lee.

And in expanding here, the companies create jobs for Singaporeans, he added.

During PM Lee's visit to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, the hiring of Singapore engineers was among the issues discussed.

On Thursday, Google's local office announced it would acquire local business messaging start-up Pie to kick-start a Singapore-based engineering team.

Free blogging platform Ghost also said it had chosen to shift its operations from the United Kingdom to Singapore.