Singapore - Workers in Singapore prefer relocation to another country over commuting more than 45 minutes each way to work, according to a recruitment firm's poll released Tuesday.

Nearly eight in 10 of the more than 2,000 employees queried by Kelly Services said they would consider relocating to another country. Fifty-six per cent were prepared to move to unfamiliar locations where they don't speak the local language.

"With a more globalized workforce, there is increasingly a recognition that people may have to relocate to find the right work or to advance their career," The Business Times quoted Dhirendra Shantilal, senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific, as saying.

She mentioned banking, finance, information technology, science and engineering as among the many skills that are easily transferable across borders.

Those willing to move fell into the 25-to-34 age group. Males were more willing to relocate than females, the poll found.

The findings that many workers are willing to be highly mobile in their search for work is good news for employers, Kelly said, particularly at a time of relative skills shortages.

Thirteen per cent of those polls said they had already relocated to a country where they did not speak the language to find the right job. (dpa)