Survey: Digital nomads flock to Japan

According to YouGov’s recently released survey, 36% of Singaporeans have been digital nomads at some point in their lives, and the most popular destination for digital nomads is Japan.

The study was conducted by YouGov, a market research company which regularly releases surveys for people to fill in. This particular survey was conducted in early June and polled 882 Singaporeans.

Destination: Japan

Japan’s popularity among digital nomads should not come as a surprise, given the country’s appeal to all Singaporeans; according to previous data released by Google flights, Japan was the 2nd most popular destination. 

Furthermore, Japan is also encouraging digital nomads. In March this year, they launched a digital nomad visa. 

Under this visa, remote workers with an annual income of minimally ten million yen — equivalent to about SG$84,000 as of time of writing — can work remotely in Japan for up to six months. 

These factors all intersect to make Japan the leading choice for digital nomads.

Short-term work experience

Interestingly, more than one in three Singaporeans have had experience as a digital nomad.

Digital nomads are individuals who earn a living through remote work, giving them the flexibility to work in multiple locations as opposed to a fixed office. 

However, most Singaporeans have not spent much time as digital nomads; 53% say that the longest they spent was for less than a month, and 25% spent one to three months working and travelling in that manner.

Of the remaining 22%, half worked as digital nomads for four to six months, while the other half did so for more than six months.

Global citizens

Most cite the benefits of flexible work, travelling without needing to take time off, and getting to escape routine and get a change of scenery as the biggest benefits of working as a digital nomad.

All of these benefits seem to point to a change in the way that people want to live. As compared to decades prior, where stability and rootedness was prioritised, it appears that people are more focussed on enjoying the present. With flexible work and the ability to travel being brought up as the top two advantages of digital nomadism, it appears that people want to have more opportunities to enjoy the larger world around them. 

Some reasons for this change may simply have to do with the advances that come with time; technology and changing workplaces. With the technology that we have now, it is possible to work remotely, and after the pandemic, far more workplaces are willing to embrace hybrid or even remote work. 

Bleak outcomes

Another reason may be more bleak; according to the Harvard Business Review, people may increasingly turn to digital nomadism due to an inability to attain the same rooted goals as are traditionally expected. These goals include owning a house, starting a family, and creating generation wealth. 

The cost of living has gone up faster than salaries have, and climbing the traditional corporate ladder has become more difficult. As a result, those of the younger generation are likely to face financial difficulties even as they pursue traditional on-site jobs. Therefore, if these individuals will have to struggle anyway, they may as well become digital nomads and explore a variety of new countries while they do so.

In Singapore specifically, while 36% of Singaporeans have been digital nomads, most of them have only lived that lifestyle for short periods of time, which seems to indicate a willingness to temporarily try out digital nomadism, before returning to business as usual.

Therefore, while there seems to be an increasing proportion of people in Singapore willing to be more footloose, stability still emerges as the biggest priority. 

Still, as technology continues to evolve and workplaces become more adaptable, it is possible that more Singaporeans may increasingly opt for a digital nomad’s lifestyle, especially if worldwide trends are considered.