English
Jan
29
The Expat Experience
Posted on Jan 29, 2010 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
According to a recently released Gallup survey, which has taken three years to complete, 16% of all adults in over 130 countries globally - equivalent to over 700 million people - would relish the prospect of starting a new life in a different country. Unsurprisingly, the most popular migration destinations include relatively wealthy Western countries, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also being seen as attractive places to live. If all adults seeking relocation achieved their desires the population of the USA would increase by 165 million people, while France, Britain and Canada would each receive 45 million new migrants. According to the survey, African adults were the keenest to leave their home countries, while Asian respondents were the happiest to stay where they are. [caption id="attachment_126" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Top Migration Destinations"]
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There are a number of factors at work in the desire of individuals to relocate to another country. For many expatriates the primary consideration when deciding to stay in their country of residence, or relocate somewhere else is with regards to job opportunities. This is not surprising in an era of increased globalization in the workplace. For many expatriates, the biggest advantage to taking an employment position away from their home country is with regards to their employment contract or career prospects. According to a report released by HSBC, 51% of expats will stay in their country of residence because of a superior employment contract, while 44% would remain to improve their career prospects.
HSBC found that expatriates enjoy a superior quality of life when they move abroad, with Canada achieving top position for the world's largest expatriate lifestyle survey; Australia and Thailand placed second and third respectively. The United Kingdom, while being a desirable destination for millions of people around the globe, placed last in terms of quality of life; this may be in part due to the limited access to healthcare and social services enjoyed by non-nationals, and the competitiveness of the job market.
Increasingly, expatriates around the world are spending more time away from their home nations, and this trend is increasing. More than half the respondents questioned by HSBC had lived outside of their home nations for more than 5 years. The countries where expatriates tended to reside the longest before returning to their home countries included South Africa, Thailand, and Canada. Expatriates originating from Thailand, Bahrain, South Africa, Russia and the USA had a higher tendency to permanently relocate away from their home nations and spend the remainder of their life overseas. The average time for most expatriates to live outside of their home nation is between 7 - 48 months.
One of the biggest challenges to the expatriate lifestyle is with regards to healthcare access. For many expatriates not covered by a national health insurance scheme, accessing the health care services they require can be difficult. As a consequence of this, there is a growing need for expatriates to purchase some form of international health insurance. Additionally, the expatriate focused services sector has seen explosive growth over the last year as companies realize the need for services and products specifically targeted towards these consumers. Dow Jones, Labour International, Conservatives Abroad, and Marks and Spencer are all organizations which have made the move to provide tailored services and options to expats around the world.