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Expat Insider 2024
Working Abroad Index for Cities

Expat Insider 2024

Want to Work Abroad? Discover the Best Cities

A job can be a big driver for moving abroad. But which cities offer the best working hours, career prospects, and more? And which destinations have tumbled down the ranks of the Working Abroad Index?

Methodology
Copenhagen (1st) Is Back on Top
High Job Satisfaction in Ras Al Khaimah (2nd)
Popular Public Sector in Brussels (3rd)
Little Balance to Be Found in Istanbul (53rd)
Few Career Opportunities in Rome (52nd)
Vancouver (51st) Tumbles Down the Ranks
Trends in the Top 10
Trends in the Bottom 10
The Biggest Winners in 2024
The Biggest Losers in 2024
Full Ranking
Further Reading
External References

The Top 10

Methodology

The Working Abroad Index is made up of four subcategories with two to three factors each.

Whether moving abroad improved expats’ career prospects and their personal career opportunities, as well as expats’ view of the local job market, form the Career Prospects Subcategory.

The Salary & Job Security Subcategory considers the state of the economy, local job security, and whether expats feel they’re paid fairly for their work.

Expats’ happiness with their working hours and work–life balance factor into the Work & Leisure Subcategory.

The Work Culture & Satisfaction Subcategory is based on general job satisfaction and the local business culture’s support of flexibility (e.g., remote work, flexible hours).

A city had to have a minimum of 50 respondents to be included in the ranking. In 2024, 53 cities made this threshold.

Copenhagen (1st) Is Back on Top

Following a slight dip in 2023 when it ranked 3rd, Copenhagen is once again the best city for Working Abroad — back to 2022 form. That’s great news, especially for the two in five expats (40%) who say they moved there for work-related reasons (vs. 35% globally).

The Danish capital is the undisputed winner when it comes to Work & Leisure, with over four in five respondents rating their working hours (82% vs. 62% globally) and work–life balance (85% vs. 60% globally) favorably. In part, this is down to their shorter work week: in Copenhagen, those working full time spend an average of 39.6 hours at their job — compared to 42.5 hours worldwide.

“Work–life balance is great, and five to six weeks of holidays are standard.” – Australian respondent

This is also due to a local business culture that supports flexibility at the workplace, for example, in the form of remote work or flexible hours. Copenhagen ranks first for this factor! And indeed, over three-quarters of working respondents (77%) say they work remotely at least some of the time (vs. 68% globally).

What’s more, expats in Copenhagen find they’re paid fairly (7th), and an impressive 88% praise the state of the economy (vs. 59% globally). Results for the local job market (29th) and respondents’ personal career opportunities (20th) are mostly average, though.

High Job Satisfaction in Ras Al Khaimah (2nd)

Ras Al Khaimah defends its 2nd place in the Working Abroad Index in 2024. Expats give it glowing reviews across nearly every single factor of the index, with just the local job market receiving an average result (25th).

Over four in five respondents (82%) rate the state of the economy positively (vs. 59% globally), and more than half (55%) even give it the best possible rating (vs. 23%). The city ranks 1st for personal career opportunities, and over three in five expats (63%) find moving there has improved their career prospects (vs. 56% globally).

Speaking of moving: more than half (52%) say they originally relocated for job-related reasons, compared to around a third of expats worldwide (35%). This includes a quarter (25%) who managed to find a job in Ras Al Khaimah on their own (vs. 15% globally).

The city places 1st for general job satisfaction, and expats are happy with both their working hours (4th) and general work–life balance (8th). On average, those in a full-time position spend 41.2 hours per week at their job (vs. 42.5 h globally).

Popular Public Sector in Brussels (3rd)

Brussels not only ranks 3rd in 2024, it’s also the biggest winner in the index, after placing 22nd out of 49 cities in 2023!

It’s the city with the highest share of expats working in the public sector (22% vs. 4% globally). Considering it’s the seat of many international institutions of the EU and NATO, this is easily explained. In fact, official statistics from 2021 show that close to 15% of all jobs in the Brussels-Capital Region are in public administration.¹

Whether in the public or private sector, over seven in ten expats (72%) find they’re satisfied with their job (vs. 60% globally). An even higher share of 79% agree that the local business culture supports flexibility (vs. 56% globally). In fact, a similar share (78%) say they work remotely at least some of the time, 10 percentage points more than the global average of 68%. Combined with, on average, shorter work weeks in full time jobs — 40.6 hours compared to 42.5 hours globally — Brussels’ 6th place for work–life balance seems well deserved.

“I really like the international atmosphere, job opportunities, and connectivity to other places and countries.” – US American expat

Two-thirds of respondents (67%) give their personal job opportunities a favorable rating, a noticeably higher share than the global average of 53%. Expats appreciate the job security (3rd) and local job market (14th), too, which is great news for the 56% who originally moved to Brussels for work (vs. 35% globally).

Little Balance to Be Found in Istanbul (53rd)

After an already dissatisfying 47th place out of 49 cities in 2023, Istanbul has fallen further in the ranks to come last in the index in 2024. The city places in the bottom 10 in each of the four underlying subcategories and receives its “best” result for the local job market, ranking 42nd out of 53 cities.

“Despite a good record of seven years of working in an international company, I’m struggling to find any jobs related to my major or my previous positions.” – Iranian expat

The majority of expats (61%) give the state of the economy a bad grade, and over a quarter (28%) find it’s very bad (vs. a global 19% and 4%, respectively). Correspondingly, less than two in five (39%) are happy with their personal career opportunities in the city (vs. 53% globally). And less than half (46%) are satisfied with their job (vs. 60% globally).

Istanbul ranks dead last for working hours (53rd) and work–life balance (53rd), with expats reporting an average work week of 46.4 hours in a full-time position (vs. 42.5 h globally). It’s lucky then, that less than a quarter (24%) say they relocated for a job (vs. 35%).

Few Career Opportunities in Rome (52nd)

Results in Rome paint a familiar picture: following last place in 2023, it only improves to second to last a year later.

It’s the worst-performing city when it comes to the Work Culture & Satisfaction Subcategory (53rd). Expats aren’t happy in their job — 30% rate this factor negatively, compared to 19% worldwide — and the local business culture doesn’t support flexibility (53rd), either.

Career opportunities are few and far between, with the city ranking last for this point. In fact, expats in Rome are twice as likely to disagree that moving there has improved their career prospects than the worldwide average (42% vs. 21% globally).

“It’s extremely hard to find jobs in Italy. And the salaries here are extremely low.” – Angolan expat

Based on their industry, qualifications, and role, around three in ten expats (28%) find they’re not paid fairly for their work in Rome (vs. 22% globally). Of those working, an above-average share are self-employed or freelancers (25% vs. 10% globally) or work in further education as teachers or researchers (13% vs. 6% globally).

Compared to the global average, work isn’t a main motivation to move to the city (23% vs. 35%). Instead, expats are likely to have moved for love (16% vs. 9%), for their education (16% vs. 9%), or because they were looking for a better quality of life in Rome (11% vs. 9%).

Vancouver (51st) Tumbles Down the Ranks

In 2023, Vancouver ranked midfield in 27th place out of 49 cities in the Working Abroad Index. In 2024, it joins Rome and Istanbul in the bottom 3 and ranks last overall!

It’s the worst-performing city when it comes to expats’ job satisfaction (53rd) and their perceived job security (53rd). More than double the global average rate the former factor negatively (44% vs. 19% globally). In 2023, Vancouver still received above-average results here (68% positive ratings vs. 64% globally).

Career opportunities aren’t much better: just two in five respondents (40%) say the relocation to Canada improved their prospects, compared to 56% of expats worldwide and 61% in 2023. In fact, around three in ten (29%) are currently looking for work in Vancouver, nearly three times the global average of 10%.

“There’s no job availability for highly qualified people nor recognition of education or experience abroad.” – Chilean expat

Expats rank Vancouver 51st for the local job market. The city can’t escape the bottom 5 for the state of the economy, either: following 22nd place in 2023, it now ranks 49th in 2024. Just a third of respondents (33%) give Vancouver a positive rating for this factor (vs. 59% globally).

Trends in the Top 10

Copenhagen
Ras Al Khaimah
Brussels
Riyadh
Amsterdam
Sydney
The Hague
Dublin
Dubai
New York City

Five cities of the top 10 were already at the top of the Working Abroad Index in 2023. Of the five new additions, Riyadh (14th in 2023 to 4th in 2024) and Dublin (15th to 8th) weren’t too far off in 2023. Meanwhile, Brussels (22nd to 3rd), Sydney (21st to 6th), and New York City (28th to 10th) have seen significant improvement.

Amsterdam (5th), The Hague (7th), and Dublin (8th) join Copenhagen (1st) and Brussels (3rd) as European destinations in the top 10. All five do particularly well in the Work Culture & Satisfaction Subcategory, with Dublin’s 8th place the “worst” result here. Worldwide, close to three in five expats (59%) rate the state of the economy favorably. In these European cities, the same is true for 71% (Brussels) to 88% (Copenhagen) of respondents.

The cities also delight with good working hours — all but Dublin, that is. Around two-thirds of respondents in the Irish capital (66%) are satisfied with their hours. While that’s a higher share than the global average of 62%, it can’t quite compare to the 75% or more in the other four cities.

Ras Al Khaimah (2nd) is joined by Riyadh (4th) and Dubai (9th) in representing the Middle East among the top 10 of the Working Abroad Index. All three cities offer a great economy — at least four in five expats (80%) rate it favorably (vs. 59% globally) — and excellent career opportunities.

For example, over a third of respondents in Riyadh (35%) couldn’t be happier with the local job market (vs. 12% globally), and close to four in five respondents in Dubai (79%) find that relocating has improved their career prospects (vs. 56%). However, Dubai (42nd) and Riyadh (32nd) cannot compete with Ras Al Khaimah’s 5th place in the Work & Leisure Subcategory.

Being the odd ones out, Sydney (6th) and New York City (10th) show surprisingly similar results. Expats give both cities good grades in the Work Culture & Satisfaction (Sydney 3rd; New York City 7th) and Career Prospects (5th; 2nd) Subcategories.

However, in New York City, these come at a certain cost. Close to a quarter of respondents (23%) are dissatisfied with the work–life balance (vs. 19% globally), and 29% rate their job security negatively (vs. 22%).

Trends in the Bottom 10

Málaga
Budapest
Hong Kong
Toronto
Kuala Lumpur
Lisbon
Milan
Vancouver
Rome
Istanbul

The bottom 10 also sees a mix of familiar faces and newcomers. Five cities were already among the worst-performing destinations for work in 2023, while Vancouver (27th to 51st), Kuala Lumpur (30th to 48th), Toronto (19th to 47th), Budapest (33rd to 45th), and especially Málaga (13th to 44th) face significant losses in 2024.

Half of the bottom 10 can again be found in Europe: Milan (50th), Lisbon (49th), Budapest (45th), and Málaga (44th) join Rome (52nd) in the list. The local economy is a concern in each of these cities, with only Málaga narrowly escaping the bottom 10 for this factor (40th).

Worldwide, more than half of expats (56%) agree that their relocation has improved their career prospects. In these five European cities, only around a third say the same. Milan is the exception here, though its share of 45% is still below average, too.

The two Canadian cities perform badly for Working Abroad, with Vancouver placing 51st and Toronto 47th. Both cities land in the bottom 10 for three out of the four subcategories of the index: Career Prospects, Work & Leisure, and Salary & Job Security. In fact, only 34% of expats in Vancouver and 45% in Toronto are satisfied with their job security, compared to 56% of respondents worldwide.

Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur are popular destinations among expats relocating for work: a respective 68% and 54% of respondents there name a job-related reason, compared to 35% of expats worldwide. But the two cities cannot escape the bottom 10 of the Working Abroad Index, ranking 46th and 48th.

In Hong Kong, the move has at least brought improved career prospects (10th). But expats must contend with long working hours in both cities: on average, respondents in a full-time job work a weekly 45 hours or more (vs. 42.5 h globally). And less than half feel they’re paid fairly in Kuala Lumpur (47% vs. 58% globally).

The Biggest Winners in 2024

The three biggest winners in the 2024 Working Abroad Index all managed to jump into the top 10. Brussels, which now ranks 3rd after placing 22nd in 2023, is covered in detail above.

New York City rises 18 places to rank 10th in 2024. The metropole continues to perform very well for Career Prospects (2nd in 2023 and in 2024) as well as Work Culture & Satisfaction (8th to 7th in 2024). Its results also improve in the other two subcategories of the index.

In 2023, expats rated it among the worst-performing cities for Work & Leisure (45th out of 49). While respondents are still not loving their work–life balance, a mostly average share of 57% gives this factor a positive rating in 2024 (vs. 60% globally). That’s 10 percentage points more than in 2023. Similarly, there’s an increased satisfaction with the state of the economy (28th to 18th place).

Following 21st place in the 2023 Working Abroad Index, Sydney jumps 15 spots to rank 6th in 2024. This is largely due to expats’ increased satisfaction with their personal career opportunities (65% positive ratings in 2023 vs. 73% in 2024). Sydney also ranks 3rd for its local job market, despite slightly worsened results for the state of the economy (66% positive ratings in 2023 vs. 57% in 2024). All in all, close to three-quarters (72%) say they’re generally happy with their job in Sydney (vs. 60% globally).

The Biggest Losers in 2024

In 2023, Spanish city Málaga ranked 13th in the Working Abroad Index, a result that has since drastically changed. Now in 44th place, the city lands among the bottom 10 of 2024 with worsened results across all areas of the index.

Already in 2023, expats weren’t happy with the job market (41st) and the impact that moving to Málaga had on their career prospects (41st). These issues worsened, with Málaga dropping down another 15 ranks to place 51st in the overarching Career Prospects Subcategory. And while an above-average share of 69% still enjoy their work–life balance (vs. 60% globally), this is a noticeable drop from the 80% who said the same in 2023 (vs. 63%).

Toronto received a respectable 19th place in the Working Abroad Index in 2023. A year later, it’s among the biggest losers in this index, ranking 47th. As in Málaga, expats rate the city worse across all factors of the index. For instance, only about half (52%) give the local economy a positive rating, compared to around two-thirds (66%) in 2023. And while 68% of expats agreed in 2023 that moving to Toronto improved their career prospects, this share is down to 49% in 2024.

Fellow Canadian city Vancouver also took quite the tumble, falling from a mediocre 27th place in 2023 to rank among the bottom 3 cities (51st) for Working Abroad in 2024.