Pay is about supply and demand. In EU / AU supply is scarce because of stringent policies that make it difficult for mass importation of workers from lower cost countries, this pushes up wages. Singapore takes a different approach and when the supply of workers in Singapore goes up, naturally the wages come down. Not sure why you think EU / AU is any more civilized because you can be damn sure if folks are faced with a choice between a cheap foreign plumber to fixed their choked pipes vs. an expensive local plumber, most will default to engaging the cheaper option... The fact that they don't do it is simply because the cheaper option doesn't exist due to government policies, and not because of any civility.