Investors fret over Singapore talent shortage as investment booms

City-state's position as tech hub faces challenge from manpower crunch

20200116 Nikkei Forum Panel discussion 2

Business leaders, left to right, Vertex Holdings CEO Chua Kee Lock, UOB Venture Management CEO and managing director Seah Kian Wee, EDBI senior vice president Paul Ng, and iGlobe Partners founding managing partner Soo Boon Koh speak at the Nikkei Forum "Innovative Asia" in Singapore on Jan. 16. (Photo by Karina Nooka)

DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writer

January 16, 2020 22:37 JST

SINGAPORE -- Even as Singapore remains a hub in Southeast Asia for investment, from startups to multinational companies, the city-state's position as a thriving center of innovation is under pressure due to a talent shortage.

Panelists speaking the Nikkei Forum Innovative Asia in Singapore on Thursday highlighted the challenge despite better-than-expected data on inward foreign investment for 2019 published the same day.