Even so, being Singaporean is a part of his identity that he is extremely proud of, said Mr Pravin, who is the son of L Krishna Samy who composed the 1966 NDP song, Engkal Singapore.
When it comes to reconciling his geographically-agnostic idea of home with his intense pride in Singapore, Mr Pravin said: “I am definitely very much Singaporean in spirit, the way I am with people and everything. It’s just that I feel like I serve my role and my duties better as I travel as an ambassador of the Singapore brand like this.”
And Mr Pravin, it seems, is not the only one who feels that way.
“Home today is now both Singapore and Manila,” said Mr Taruc, the employment pass holder from the Philippines.
He added: “Singapore is where I, my wife and daughter are building memories together every day, while Manila is where I have clear video calls with our folks back home, and a place where I can work from home safely.”
And for Ms Lim, despite her strong affinity for the Bay Area, she sees herself coming back to Singapore eventually to be with her family.
“I feel like there are two parts of me, that call Singapore and San Francisco my homes,” she said.
“Feelings of nostalgia and steadiness are tied to Singapore, whereas feelings of adventure, excitement and freedom are what I associate with San Francisco.”
IMPACT OF MACRO FORCES
Dr Teo Kay Key, research fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies, noted that with people moving around the world for work, personal and even political reasons, identifying several places as “home” is no longer unusual.
“As the world becomes more interconnected … I think we will see these multiple attachments to different places or societies become more common,” she said.
At the same time, the pandemic has given rise to remote working, and this may have an impact on the need for people to travel across borders for work.
“With many companies now more open to their employees working remotely, many have moved to more affordable and attractive locations to do jobs remotely,” said NTU’s Assoc Prof Kathiravelu.
“Countries with high liveability standards, or where rent is cheap may benefit from such arrangements, especially for younger workers with less familial commitments and less dependent on healthcare regimes.”
Dr Tan of NUS however, felt that it is too early to assess the impact of remote working on migration, given how some companies have reverted to physical attendance in office and are moving away from work-from-home arrangements.
Further, there are factors such as taxation and time differences that make collaborating with colleagues across the globe less straightforward.
But should remote working take off, she said: “This is likely to change the demographics of migrant flows, namely those with families are less likely to uproot than single migrants.”
With the concept of “home” becoming more complex, it begs the question of what a country like Singapore — which relies on human capital as its only resource — can do to promote a sense of belonging among its citizens as well as others who choose to call the city-state home?
Dr Teo said in order for Singapore to build a strong connection with its residents, it “requires the individual to feel that they are free to fulfil their aspirations while staying in Singapore”.
“Essentially, Singapore is the place they want to be to work, live, and build a home for themselves, literally and figuratively,” she said.
Assoc Prof Kathiravelu noted the need to address structural issues including rising cost of living and long working hours, in order to to ensure that Singapore remains an inclusive and comfortable home for all.
SMU’s Dr Peng pointed to the more apparent social divide that has emerged since the pandemic — such as between born and naturalised citizens — and said that Singapore’s attractiveness as a home would depend on how these divisions are managed.
“If we offer a fair chance for a good life for all, local citizens would be far more willing to welcome new arrivals to our midst if they feel assured of not having got the short end of the stick, and would share in the prosperity migrants would bring,” he said.
This story was originally published in TODAY.