Saudi Arabia achieved top positions among the world’s best countries for expats to build a career.
In a new survey, conducted by the global expat community InterNations, the Kingdom outperformed Belgium, the UK, and the US as a favorite career destination for expats.
Top Ranks
According to the Expat Insider 2024, Saudi Arabia has ranked second in the Working Abroad Index. It has been chosen as a top destination for expats careers. More than half of the respondents in the Kingdom (55%) rate the local job market positively, while over 31% give it the best possible rating.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia ranked first in the Career Prospects Subcategory, surpassing countries like the UAE and the US. 75% of expats in Saudi Arabia agree that their career prospects have improved by moving there, and 62% rate their personal career opportunities favorably.
A Spanish expat told the survey: “I like how there are work opportunities for highly skilled professionals.”
Expats Satisfaction
In the Salary and Job Security Subcategory, Saudi Arabia came in the second place after Luxembourg. According to the survey, 82% of expats express high satisfaction with the state of the local economy.
Moreover, the Kingdom ranked in the 7th place in the Work Culture and Satisfaction Subcategory.
Meeting Expats Needs
The Kingdom also featured among the top 10 in the Expat Essentials Index. It secured the 6th place. The Expat Essentials Index assesses the ease of obtaining visas, dealing with local bureaucracy, and opening bank accounts. It also measures housing affordability and availability, digital life, including online services and internet access, and language ease, covering learning and living without the local language.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the only Middle Eastern countries in the top 10. Around three in five respondents moved there for work-related reasons (63% Saudi Arabia; 58% UAE).
Working Hours
Despite the overall favorable results, expats in Saudi Arabia face long workdays, with an average of 47.8 hours a week for full-time positions, compared to 42.5 hours globally.
This has given the Kingdom its lowest rankings in the index in terms of working hours, as it came in the 23rd position, and the work-life balance, ranking 27th.
Survey Methodology
The Working Abroad Index depends on four subcategories:
- Career Prospects: which evaluates expats’ rating of the local job market; their personal career opportunities; and if moving to the country improved their career prospects.
- Salary and Job Security: which considers the destination country’s state of the economy, the local job security, and whether expats feel paid fairly for their work.
- Work and Leisure: which assesses expats’ happiness with their working hours and work-life balance.
- Work Culture and Satisfaction: which measures general job satisfaction and the local business culture’s support of flexibility.
