Best destinations for female expat salaries and careers

According to a recently–released survey, one out of every four working women relocates overseas for reasons of furthering their careers.

The survey took in some 7,000 female professionals living and working in 168 countries across the world, and came up with the ten most popular relocation destinations for ambitious women. The results were based on expectations of higher salaries, enhanced career prospects and the number of hours worked every week.

Mexico took the top place, with the chance of a higher salary coming in at 29 per cent and all-important career prospects were satisfactory for 68 per cent of respondents. An impressive two-thirds of expat professional women said they were more than happy with their choice as expats have ‘good standing’ in the country and working hours are reasonable at 45 weekly. Myanmar took second place, with 39 per cent of those surveyed saying their salaries covered all their basic needs.

Cambodia came in at third place, with 33 per cent happy with their higher salaries as well as their career prospects at 63 per cent, and working hours at 42 per week left plenty of time to enjoy various aspects of the country. Expat women in Bahrain work the fewest hours, clocking up just 40 per week, with 65 per cent of respondents satisfied with both their salaries and career prospects. A number of New Zealand-based expat women admitted they’d arrives for a better quality of life, with a third working part time. Even so, satisfaction and career prospects levels were high.

Over half of women working in Kazakhstan were there for career-related reasons, with 62 per cent saying a higher salary was an attraction and 67 per cent saying they were happy with their career development. As regards the UK, although opportunities for women are more diverse, salary levels could be a lot higher if everyday necessities are to be covered. Working hours were good at 41 weekly, and career prospect satisfaction came in with 67 per cent approval.

The USA only managed eighth position and, whilst wages were high, working hours left much to be desired. Career progression, however, got votes from 64 per cent of those surveyed. Kenya scored points for its salary levels, but job security and long working hours caused problems. Although it only took 10th place, Ireland was praised for its job security and excellent work-life balance, with 51 and 63 per cent of respondents respectively happy with their career development and salaries.