Working abroad has grown tremendously over the past few years. People from all industries are trying to get a piece of this growing pie.
With the new year getting underway, and many looking for ways to expand their careers, experts say the best way to do that isn’t by staying in the United States. Financial services company HSBC released a report surveying over 22,000 expats from 163 countries that started their career abroad. Called the “Expat Explorer” survey, the report focused on eight different career-focused criteria: work culture, job security, career progression, gaining personal insight at work, employee benefits, earning prospects and work-life balance.
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Out of all the countries reported on, countries in Europe and the Middle East set the tone, with Germany taking the number one spot. Interestingly enough, workers who started there said that the country’s efficient workplaces and work culture make it pleasant to start a career there. Sixty-five percent of expats said that Germany is a great place for career progression and 70 percent claim their work-life balance improved after they moved to the country. Some companies even ban employees from reading emails on the weekend.
Now, that’s a concept that needs to come stateside.
A nationally legislated minimum wage helped put Germany at the top of the list as well as an increase in employment rates. But Germany wasn’t the only country or city on the list, so here are the others that made the cut.
- Germany
- Bahrain
- United Kingdom
- United Arab Emirates
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Singapore
- United States
- Canada
- Hong Kong
Workers in Sweden raved about the country’s work culture. If people are interested in working in Germany, certain things need to happen first. The U.S. embassy says you have to have an actual job offer and a residence permit, which gives you a stamp of approval from Germany’s Immigration Office.