A global random survey conducted by Britain’s HSBC bank involving than 20,000 people living and working abroad showed approximately two-thirds of expatriates (65%) are optimistic about the next year despite the ‘uncertainty’ of the past 18 months.
The UAE ranked came in fourth as the best country in the world to live and work in among the best 10 countries (it jumped to 10 places from last year’s ranking of 14), Bahrain and Qatar ranked eighth and tenth, respectively, while Kuwait failed to make the top 10 list.
Among the top 10, Switzerland was first, followed by Australia and New Zealand in second and third places, respectively, UAE in fourth place, while Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel near the French coast) and Jersey came in fifth and sixth places, respectively, the Isle of Man in seventh, Bahrain eighth and Singapore and Qatar ranked ninth and tenth, respectively.
Sources told Al-Anba the main reason for optimism is the hope to live “normally” again (75%), but six in ten (61%) said they also feel positive about the quality of life they can enjoy.
Expatriates in Taiwan were the most optimistic (85%), followed by expats in Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam with 83%. As the world was in flux during the pandemic, the study indicates that locations where a sense of stability has maintained high rank on the list.
Expatriates’ desire to live and work abroad has not diminished due to the pandemic, with the majority planning to stay for the foreseeable future in their place of residence with 80% intending to continue living in the host country for at least the next year, and only 7% planning to relocate. Findings indicate that expatriates prioritize personal lifestyle choices over traditional resettlement programs such as career advancement (34%) or career network expansion (31%).
It showed that the five most important goals the expatriates aspire to achieve in the next 12 months are — getting to know the local area in which they reside (50%); travel (47%); explore the local culture (47%); making new friends (45%) and increasing visits to and leaving the house (41%).