HSBC Bank International Expat Explorer Survey 2009
Report 2: Expat Experience - Quality of Life
It may not come as a surprise to learn that expats will experience a change in their quality of life as part of a relocation. And the latest International Expat Explorer Survey, conducted by the HSBC bank, demonstrates that in most cases this results in an improvement.
Expat Experience is the second of three reports from the HSBC Expat Explorer series which is the largest ever global survey of expats; over 3,100 expats were interviewed in order to determine how they’d found integrating into local society as well as the change in their quality of life.
Of the European countries, Germany and France were frontrunners in the survey, with the majority of the countries’ expats claiming that their quality of life had increased dramatically. The local cuisine was cited as the main reason for this by expats in France while expats residing in Germany put their lifestyle upgrade down to better working hours. Nearby Switzerland received strong praise for its efficient transport system which propelled it to the top of the ratings in this area. And the UK took the title of “most amusing” with 58% of expats noting an increase in the quality of entertainment. In fact, Europe was heavily featured in the survey – with some particularly interesting results coming from the UK and France.
UK Top for Work and Play
With 58% of expats reporting an increase in the quality of their entertainment since moving to the UK, things are looking positive for the UK entertainment industry. However, entertainment wasn’t the only area which saw the UK trounce the other featured countries: The UK also scored highly for the availability of career options with 62% of expats stating that improved employment prospects had drawn them to the location.
Vive La France
After Germany and Thailand, France is the country where expats reported the greatest increase in quality of life. Indeed a staggering 44% of expats stated that their family life was better since moving to the culture-rich country. The healthcare system received praise too with 74% of interviewed expats saying that they’d noticed a higher level of healthcare since moving to France. “Friendly” was a common word used to describe the country with 85% of expats reporting that they had made friends with locals (compared with 76% overall) and 35% had even joined a local community group.
Want to know more?
This is just a small glimpse at some of the findings from Expat Experience. And, if some of the issues in this article have sparked your curiosity, you may be interested in seeing the HSBC International Expat Explorer Survey –Report 2 in full. In order to do this, please just click here.
ENDS
About Interdean International Relocation
Whether looking to expand into new territories or to leverage your human capital in core markets, Interdean has the service to support the needs of your business and your relocating employees.
Interdean works for a global customer base of blue-chip clients providing scalable relocation services on a local, regional or global level. Services are managed through a conveniently located account management centre, offering a central point of co-ordination and simplified communication for your department and your relocating employees.
Depending on your requirements, Interdean’s service can cover as much or as little of the relocation process as you need. Interdean’s dedicated team provide a highly personalised service, managing every aspect of the relocation.
From initial policy advisory services and implementation programmes to delivering the service in each location, you can be certain that at each stage of the process, your moves are being handled by experienced professionals with specialist skills every step of the way.
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