Covid-19 hastened Hong Kong-based couple's plan to return to Singapore

When Hong Kong-based Singaporean Sharon Liu, 39, and her husband Lim Eng Seng, 41, returned to Singapore in January, they had planned to stay only a short while over Chinese New Year.

However, the growing severity of the Covid-19 outbreak soon changed their minds.

With schools in Hong Kong shutting in early February, the couple decided to stay put in Singapore with their two young children. Their son Andre is two and their daughter Anya is three.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Ms Liu said: "Just before the circuit breaker started in April, my husband and I flew to Hong Kong to pack up our things and come back."

The owner of an events marketing company that operates in Singapore and Hong Kong said her family was already thinking of moving back home by the end of the year, due to a combination of factors.

The pandemic simply accelerated their plans and they decided to come home after living in Hong Kong for more than 10 years.

One reason was that their two sets of parents are getting old, and want their grandchildren to spend more time with family in Singapore, said Ms Liu.

The political turmoil in Hong Kong, marked by more than a year of ongoing protests, also contributed to their decision to move back to Singapore, she added.

Her husband, an investment broker, can work anywhere in the world, Ms Liu said.

The family are among the many overseas Singaporeans who returned amid the pandemic. According to the Government's annual Population in Brief report released yesterday, the total number of overseas Singaporeans fell from 217,200 last year to 203,500 this year.

The number of overseas Singaporeans per 100 Singapore citizens has increased gradually from 5.7 in 2010 to 6.2 last year before falling to 5.8 this year.

Overall, the growth in the number of overseas Singaporeans was slower over the past five years compared with the period from 2010 to 2015.

Singapore Management University sociologist Paulin Straughan said Singaporeans will likely resume heading overseas once travel restrictions are lifted.

She said: "A large group of these are younger Singaporeans who venture overseas for education and employment. So as long as there are opportunities available, younger Singaporeans in particular will take up the challenge of establishing themselves elsewhere.

"However, I think while those heading for education opportunities are likely to resume travel, those seeking employment overseas might have to wait a little longer. Covid-19 has caused the global economy to slow down."