InterNations has published the results of its annual survey of expats working abroad. Authors of the survey found out in which countries expats are most satisfied with working conditions and economic indicators.
Below, you can find top ten expat destinations:
Each country was evaluated by at least 50 respondents. All in all, more than 12,000 people took part in the survey.
You can see above that Taiwan tops the list with 74% of positive ratings which is much higher than the average percentage of 66%.
In Taiwan, 83% of respondents feel protected in terms of labour relations (average amounts to 61%). Economic stability was mentioned by 85% of respondents (average of 62%). In addition, 40% of respondents said they were completely satisfied with their jobs.
Besides, creators of the rating drew attention to the fact that Taiwan has a shorter work week. Although the difference is only about three hours (39.9 hours vs. 43.2 hours), it might have been another positive factor that benefited the overall assessment.
It is worth noting that InterNations interviewers simultaneously conducted a similar survey where they did not focus on work issues, but rather on living standards for expats. In that study, Taiwan topped the list again. Respondents noted the friendliness of locals, safety and exceptional quality of healthcare.
In terms of job satisfaction for expats, this country does not fare worse than Taiwan, and in some respects it even surpasses the leader. For example, in the “work-life balance” category, New Zealand ranked first: 83% of foreign employees working there have no problems with work and life balance. Other indicators also look quite good.
Experts say that the positive rating can be explained by the fact that New Zealand has been quite effective in curbing coronavirus pandemic. As a result, employees in the country have been less exposed to stress and disruptions in work processes.
This country retains its position in the top three in this survey. 82% of respondents are satisfied with their working hours, 75% are positive about the local economy, and 59% of respondents consider local career opportunities promising.
By the way, the work week here is also shorter than the global average (41.5 hours versus 43.2). As many as 93% of expats responded that they can work remotely, which is much higher than in most countries. This may be due to the fact that there were a significant number of freelancers rather than employees which amounts to 21%.
A total of 59 countries were considered in the study. At the end of 2021, the worst countries among those represented were:
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Experts attribute this low rating of Turkey to the fact that a large proportion of expats work here in the hotel and tourist sector which is quite hard work. As a result, job satisfaction ratings were quite low. In addition, there are far fewer guarantees of labour security in that industry which also influences the overall rating.
In addition, there were many complaints about the unstable local economy, the collapse of the currency and inflation. Exchange rate of Turkish lira is breaking anti-records, and goods are getting more expensive day on day. Naturally, it does not give expats living in this country any confidence in the future.
Only three post-Soviet countries were included in the rating with the following results:
The reason why Russia is in the top ten worst countries for expats is the unstable economic and political situation, imperfect labour laws and general job dissatisfaction.
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