Dubai, UAE: Dubai, the business hub of the Middle East, is one of the best places in the world for both job prospects and a great social life, according to the latest HSBC Expat Explorer survey, the world’s largest and longest running study of expat life.

The survey results predictably place Dubai as one of the best destinations for expats looking to boost their career. However, now the bustling city is also recognised for its active social life, ahead of London or Los Angeles.

Marwan Hadi, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC, UAE, said: “It is not at all surprising to see that Dubai, and the UAE, continue to be the destination of choice for job prospects. Dubai has the second highest expat employment levels in the world, with 92% of expats in employment, according to the survey. Of those, 83% are currently in full-time employment. This is a clear testament of the great progress the Government has made in creating a diversified economic model, which has resulted in the formation of an internationally recognised and sought-after working environment with world-class infrastructure and services.”

HSBC Expat Explorer survey shows that the average salary for expats in the city is USD138, 177 per annum, with 72% of expats saying that they have more disposable income than they did back home. Mumbai takes the top spot for expat salaries – the average expat there earning USD217,165.

Mr Hadi further added, “Expats have also said that other key reasons for selecting Dubai as their home away from home, is because they enjoy the city’s social life, its fantastic food scene, the cleanliness, safety, and the excellent leisure facilities it offers..”

Over one-third (36%) of expats in Dubai enjoy a busier and better social life since their move.

Expats in Dubai rank the social life higher than those in London (26%), Los Angeles (26%), San Francisco (27%), New York (28%), and Paris (35%).

One-third (32%) of expats in Dubai praise the great leisure facilities the city is home to, making it the fifth best city in the world for leisure facilities closely behind Sydney, Vancouver, San Francisco and Auckland.

As Dubai continues to grow as a global city, its culinary scene is growing in response. 44% of expats praise Dubai’s great restaurants and food which storms ahead of other hugely popular cities for food such as Hong Kong (35%) and Barcelona (42%).

76% of expats in Dubai feel safer and more secure than in their home country, which is significantly higher than other cities around the world including London (34%), Sydney (59%) and Vancouver (62%).

68% of expats in Dubai say they would recommend it for its clean and safe spaces.

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All expats are invited to share their experience of living abroad by taking the 2018 Expat Explorer survey online.

Expat Explorer online:

Report and country comparisons: https://expatexplorer.hsbc.com/survey/

Tweet @: www.twitter.com/expatexplorer

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hsbcexpat

Expat experiences blog: www.expatexplorer.blogspot.com/

Expats’ ratings of 46 host countries are available to explore online through the Expat Explorer interactive tool.

Media enquiries to:
Farah Farooq                        
+971 56 6867337                  
farah.farooq@hsbc.com

Ahmad Othman                      
+971 50 3069313                    
ahmad.othman@hsbc.com

About the Expat Explorer survey

The Expat Explorer survey was open to adults over 18 years old currently living away from their country of origin/home country.

The survey was completed by 27,587 expats from 159 countries and territories through an online questionnaire in March and April 2017, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by HSBC Expat. With a minimum sample of 90 expat respondents required, 52 cities were included in the data analysis.

HSBC in the MENA Region

HSBC is the largest and most widely represented international banking organisation in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT), with a presence in 9 countries across the region.  HSBC has operations in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Algeria. In Saudi Arabia, HSBC is a 40% shareholder of Saudi British Bank (SABB), and a 49% shareholder of HSBC Saudi Arabia for investment banking in the Kingdom.

This presence, the widest reach of any international bank in the region, comprises some 350 offices and around 10,500 employees. In the year ending 31st December 2017, HSBC in the MENAT region made a profit before tax of US$ 1.5bn.

© Press Release 2018