Based on the insights of more than 14,000 expats given in the annual Expat Insider survey, InterNations, the world’s largest network for people who live and work abroad, compiled a so-far unpublished ranking of the countries with the best career prospects for expats.
The worst-rated choices for career-minded expats are all located in Europe. Portugal, Italy and Greece were found to be the worst destinations to pursue a career abroad.
Up to 59 percent of the expats living in these countries rate their career prospects negatively, compared to a global average of a mere 24 percent.
The state of the economy may account for this perception: over half the respondents in Portugal and Italy (51 percent each) rate this factor negatively, compared to a global average of 23 percent.
The results for Greece are even more worrying: nine out of ten expats have a negative view of its economy, and 44 percent even consider it very bad.
Finland, Sweden, and Norway do very badly, too, when it comes to career prospects. Ranking 62nd, 54th and 53rd out of 67 countries overall, these Nordic countries do not seem to offer satisfying career options for working expats.
Despite this, Norway and Sweden are still among the countries with the best work-life balance and high job security.
While seven out of the ten worst-rated countries for career prospects are located in Europe, the UK, Romania, and Luxembourg, make it to the top 10 where career prospects are the best.
Researchers also found that more than one in three expats (35 percent) mention their job or business as their most important reason for relocating: 15 percent moved abroad because they found a job on their own, 13 percent were sent abroad by their employer, 5 percent were recruited by a local company, and 3 percent moved because they wanted to start their own business abroad.
But not all destinations where expats are particularly satisfied with their individual career options are rated just as positively for the state of the local economy. While countries such as Luxembourg, Taiwan, the UK, or the USA do well with regard to both factors, this is not necessarily the case for other top 10 career-boosting destinations such as Colombia, Romania, and Ecuador.