UAE, Bahrain and Qatar are in the top 10 places to work in HSBC Expat Explorer 2021

10X People

Mita Srinivasan
10X People
Published:

UAE, Bahrain and Qatar are in the top 10 places to work in HSBC Expat Explorer 2021

Input for the 2021 survey was collected through an online questionnaire between March and May 2021 from 20,000+ adults aged 18+, currently living in 143 countries, territories and markets, away from their country of origin

The UAE climbed 10 places to rank in the fourth place as "best country in the world to live and work" according to HSBC’s 14th annual Expat Explorer 2021, a global survey of over 20,000+ people who live and work abroad. Other GCC countries in the top ten include Bahrain (ranked eighth) and Qatar at tenth.

Expat Explorer’s 2021 survey is HSBC’s broadest look at expat living to date, with expats from 46 countries and regions sharing their views. YouGov surveyed 20,460 adults aged 18+ currently living away from their country of origin/home country, in 143 countries, territories and markets, through an online questionnaire between March and May 2021. A minimum sample of 100 respondents was required for a location to qualify for inclusion; this year, 46 locations qualified.

The vast majority of expats surveyed in the UAE (82 percent) feel optimistic that life will be more stable and normal again in the next 12 months despite the global pandemic, above the 75 percent global average, with 53 percent of UAE respondents also expecting an increase in their income and a better work life balance (57 percent).

The progress of the UAE has been attractive for many who make the UAE their home. The top three reasons cited by expats for choosing to move to the UAE are: to improve their earnings (56 percent), to progress their career (49 percent), and to improve their quality of life (43 percent).

The quality of life offered in the UAE is what makes expats stay longer than intended. Most expats in the UAE (86 percent) say their overall quality of life is better than their home country and six out of every 10 intend to stay longer for that reason. Only 11 percent say the pandemic changed their plans of staying in the UAE.

In addition to a better quality of life, 80 percent of respondents said their children are more aware and open to different cultures and experiences in the UAE. The UAE is currently hosting Expo 2020, the festival of internationalism staged in a new city every five years to showcase ideas and innovations that will shape our world, with as many as 25 million visits expected during its six-month run.