Known for its diverse and multi-cultural community, Singapore is home to the 4 dominant races – Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Eurasians, along with foreigners who work and live in Singapore. When setting up a company or moving to Singapore, it is always important to understand the country’s people and culture.
The People of Singapore
The 3 most common ethnic groups in Singapore are:
With the diversity of racial groups, English was selected as the primary medium of instruction and communication. The other three languages that are commonplace in Singapore are Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.
What is the Singapore Culture like?
The many racial and religious groups in Singapore make the country’s festival celebrations colourful, they include:
- Buddhism
- Taoism
- Christianity
- Islam
- Hinduism
- Sikhism
With various religions, Singapore has a wide array of commemorative festivals as below, with key occasions celebrated as official public holidays in Singapore.
Chinese New Year |
Hari Raya Puasa |
Deepavali |
Christmas |
National Day |
Hungry Ghost Festival |
Doing Business in Singapore
Despite the diverse racial mix in Singapore, the government ensures every race has equal opportunities by enforcing labour laws to fight against racial discrimination.
If you are looking forward to starting a business in Singapore, you should take note of some of the local business customs:
Foreigners in Business in Singapore
Many foreigners are interested in investing in Singapore because of the business grants available and the pool of skilled professionals. Also, the business culture in Singapore is conducive and polite, with the government looking to attract skilled foreign talents.
If you’re a foreigner looking to incorporate a company in Singapore, there are certain procedures that you will need to undergo before you can operate in Singapore such as registering your company, securing a visa, and more.
Here at Paul Hype Page, we specialise in bringing foreign entrepreneurs into Singapore with our local expertise in company setup and employment pass applications.
FAQs
Gift-giving is not part of an initial business meeting in Singapore.
Business breakfasts are not common in Singapore. If you would like to host a business meal, lunch is usually preferred.
Nope, in Singapore, gift–giving is not part of an initial business meeting.
The typical working hours in Singapore are 9am to 6pm, with a 1-hour lunch break in between.
If you would like to have a meeting with your business partner, be sure to schedule and confirm the meeting ahead of time. It is very rude to arrive late to a meeting – if you are going to be late, inform the host beforehand and apologise.