Expats prefer to move east for financial gain

A new survey conducted by HSBC of expats around the world has revealed that those heading overseas typically head for either reasons of financial gain or for better quality of life.
Now in its third year running, the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey compiled the responses of 4,127 expats on various issues ranging from finance, quality of life abroad and raising children in a foreign country.
The findings revealed that while foreigners motivated by financial gain are opting to move to Saudi Arabia (85 percent), Qatar (83 percent) or Russia (76 percent), foreigners in search of a better quality of life tend more toward South Africa, Spain and France.
Bahrain and Bermuda, however, were exceptions to this rule, ranking second and fifth place in the quality of life table, respectively, and placing in the top quartile in the Expat Explorer Economy league table, according to the survey.
Emotive issues such as re-establishing a social life, feeling lonely and missing friends and family were among the top concerns among expats, with more women expressing these concerns than men.
Overcoming language barriers was a concern expressed by just under 30 percent of expats with more foreigners moving to European countries highlighting this issue.
While United Kingdom-based expats commented on the ease of adapting to the local language, the U.K. was ranked as the worst country in terms of its high living costs, quality of accommodation, commute to work and weather.
Despite such low overall rankings, the U.K. was ranked top for its entertainment sector. Friday, January 21, 2011 - ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News