SINGAPORE: Switzerland has dethroned Singapore as the best place for expats to work and live, according to the HSBC Global Report.
Singapore, who has remained top of the rankings for the last four years, has dropped to second while Switzerland climbed seven places to number one overall.
According to the HSBC survey, Switzerland offered “the complete expat package” where expats enjoyed “an improved quality of life to complement impressive pay and swift career progression”.
Other factors credited to Switzerland’s rise include low levels of pollution, low crime rates, safe streets, and political and economic stability.
In terms of salaries, 71 per cent of expats reported higher levels of disposable income in Switzerland, HSBC said. The average expat salary in Switzerland was US$111,587, well above the global mean of US$75,966.
Singapore still came in top for expats with children. About 62 per cent of the expats surveyed said Singapore’s education system is better than their home country, while more than two-thirds lauded the opportunities here for their children to learn languages.
“With goods and services flowing in and out of Singapore, the country is one of Asia’s key trade hubs and a major contributor to the thriving regional economy,” said the bank.
Other countries in the top 10 include Canada, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Of the 33 countries on the list, Hong Kong and Malaysia ranked 15 and 16 respectively.
The top 33 countries for expats according to the 2019 Expat Explorer survey. (Table: HSBC)
The 2019 Expat Explorer survey is a global survey completed by 18,059 expats across the world. The research was conducted online by YouGov between March 2019 and April 2019.
