A survey conducted by careersinaudit.com shows that, of the 2,000 financial industries professionals questioned, 77% said that they would be keen on moving abroad to further their careers. Amongst the top destinations in mind for these would-be-expats are North America (USA & Canada) and Western Europe with “better career progression”, “better work-life balance” and “better salary” being the top 3 reasons for moving to the destination of choice.
It is widely reported that expensive living costs, questionable job markets, harsh winters and unpredictable summers are considered to be top reasons for British workers to consider moving abroad. Operations Director of careersinaudit.com, Simon Wright, added to the statistics in the report by saying:
“To think that just 22 per cent of the UK workforce is happy working in this country is a frightening statistic – the last thing the UK needs is a brain drain of the best accountancy and financial services talent. People are often lured by the strict balance between work and play lifestyles found in other cultures, whereas in the UK we are all too tempted to check our emails at 10.30pm and getting bogged down in more work. The chances of this happening in the likes of Australia and New Zealand for example are slim.”
It was recently reported that 90% of Brits living in Canada, having moved there for work, are happier with their new surroundings with a “better standard of living” being the main cause for expats being more contented in Canada (read our full article about it here). Another hot-spot for expats in the financial industry is Switzerland, which is still showing a high demand for staff, as well as relatively low-cost high-end property in Geneva.
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