“I WON’T KNOW UNTIL I TRY”: MIGRATION ASPIRATIONS AND MOBILITIES AMONGST HIGHLY-EDUCATED SINGAPOREAN YOUTH

Abstract

The Singaporean state heavily invests in making sure highly-educated Singaporean youth acquire overseas exposure. Yet, the state also harbours anxieties about whether these youth will eventually return if they are given the opportunity to migrate. Current literature on youth migration in Singapore lacks an in-depth understanding of the structural factors that affect their desires and capabilities to migrate. As such, this thesis seeks to understand: 1) Why do Singaporean youth aspire to migrate, and how do they develop these aspirations? 2) How do they attempt to turn their aspirations into mobility? Drawing on data from interviews with 9 highly-educated Singaporean youth between the ages of 22 and 25, I find that social class, social networks, and state initiatives are key local factors that both give rise to aspirations for migration and build their capabilities to harness global opportunities. I identify two typologies of respondents based on their differing aspirations for migration – “Lifestyle Migrants” and “Career Seekers”. The former seeks to migrate to escape normative pressures in Singapore, while the latter wants to access better job opportunities overseas. While these Singaporean youth are generally confident in their ability to migrate, they still face a great deal of uncertainty about migration. To deal with this uncertainty, they utilize temporal strategies that are anchored on their roots in Singapore – either staying in Singapore and biding their time until a good enough opportunity arises, or approaching mobility as a short-term pursuit.