- Data from the Expat Explorer survey reveals the best places for expats to work around the world.
- Nearly 28,000 expats in 159 countries and territories were surveyed.
- Below, we’ve listed the top 27 cities for expats to work, and how many people in each city said the job opportunities there were “fantastic.”
If you’re looking to move abroad, you’ll definitely want to consider how easy it will be to get a job in your new home.
And while you could try asking a few friends and family members who have relocated, it’s arguably more efficient to turn to survey data that addresses precisely that concern.
The Expat Explorer Survey, commissioned by HSBC Expat and conducted by YouGov, asked adults currently living away from their home country about the job opportunities in the cities where they live now.
In total, 27,587 expats from 159 countries and territories participated in the online questionnaire. A city had to have 90 expat respondents to be included in the analysis.
The global average for people who said there were fantastic job opportunities in their city was 25%.
Below, we've listed the top 27 cities for expats to work in 2018.
27. Geneva, Switzerland
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 15%
26. Moscow, Russia
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 15%
25. Shanghai, China
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 16%
24. Stockholm, Sweden
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 16%
23. Warsaw, Poland
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 17%
22. Brussels, Belgium
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 17%
21. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 18%
20. Jakarta, Indonesia
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 18%
19. Sao Paolo, Brazil
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 19%
18. Auckland, New Zealand
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 19%
17. Singapore
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 19%
16. Doha, Qatar
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 20%
15. Johannesburg, South Africa
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 21%
14. Toronto, Canada
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 21%
13. Sydney, Australia
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 21%
12. Kuwait City, Kuwait
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 21%
11. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 22%
10. Zurich, Switzerland
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 23%
9. Manchester, United Kingdom
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 23%
8. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 23%
7. Hong Kong, China
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 24%
6. Los Angeles, United States
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 26%
5. Birmingham, United Kingdom
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 26%
4. Dublin, Ireland
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 34%
3. New York, United States
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 40%
2. London, United Kingdom
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 49%
1. San Francisco, United States
How many expats say the city offers fantastic job opportunities: 57%