UAE among top five career destinations globally: poll

The UAE has been ranked the fourth best destination globally for an international career by expats as the Arab nation was recognised for its earnings prospects and the benefits packages offered by employers, according to a new poll.
According to a data released by HSBC's annual Expat Explorer Survey, the country improved from 6th place in 2015, in order to claim a position as one of the places expats most look to in order to build their careers.
UAE was ranked as the best country in the Middle East and Asia, followed by Switzerland, Germany and Sweden as the top destinations for a career abroad.

In its ninth edition, HSBC Expat Explorer: Achieving ambitions abroad, examined the responses of nearly 27,000 expats from across the world, and 3,092 in the UAE, to assess their views towards their careers in their host countries.
Among the primary reasons expats highlighted the UAE as one of the top international career destinations was for its earnings prospects (ranked 3rd), and the benefits packages offered by employers (5th).
Nearly two-thirds of expats in the country said they earn more than in their home country; only Switzerland (75 per cent) and Qatar (66 per cent) had a higher proportion of people that associated with this view.

Closely linked to this area, are the positive attitudes expressed towards the benefits packages offered by employers in the country, the poll said.

The Middle East and Africa region led the way in this regard with Saudi Arabia (95 per cent), Egypt (94 per cent), Oman (94 per cent), Kenya (93 per cent), and UAE (93 per cent) making up the top five countries where the highest proportion of expats say they receive benefits as part of their employment packages.
In fact, according to the survey, over 9 in 10 expats (91 per cent) living in the Middle East receive at least one benefit as part of their contracts, compared to the global average of 67 per cent.

In the UAE, for instance, 56 per cent of expats said they receive an accommodation allowance and 75 per cent receive health benefits.
Kunal Malani, Head of Customer Value Management, MENA, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC Middle East, said: "Through the results of the research, it's not surprising to see that the UAE continues to be rated highly globally for the financial benefits it offers."
Given these advantages, expats moving to and living in the UAE should look to make the best of their lives abroad.
In terms of the UAE, while the country was much closer to the global average when it came to work-life balance (24th), it rated highly for work culture (11th).

Additionally, over half of expats (54 per cent) stated that moving to the country gave them a chance to acquire new skills and that their work here is more fulfilling (51 per cent).