Quality of life and career advancement not linked

Happy Expats

Career advancement and quality of life are the two main reasons behind expats moving away from their original countries, however it seems that these two factors don’t necessarily go hand in hand, according to the results of a new report.

HSBC have released the second part of their 2010 Expat Explorer Survey, Expat Experiences, and one of the main findings is the difference between achieving career progression and quality of life. The research found that 57 percent of the expats quizzed named financial gain and career advancement as their chief reasons for moving abroad, however the countries that gave the most financially, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Russia, were countries that ranked low on the survey's quality of life table, 20th 19th and 24th respectively in a table of 25 countries.

On the other side of the coin popular destinations that ranked highly on quality of life table often came with reduced financial benefits. Spain, South Africa and France had high numbers of expats working with the intention of quality of life however they all scored low in the financial stakes.

Lisa Wood, Head of Customer Propositions at HSBC Bank International, said: “Expats decide to move abroad for a number of reasons, but looking to improve finances and lifestyle are amongst the most important.”