A survey by HSBC Holdings has ranked China as number one among 37 countries as the top destination for expats edging out Germany, Singapore and the Cayman Islands.
The survey also ranked China number two in terms of beneficial economics and number three in terms of what the bank calls ‘expat experience’ or general quality of life.
The survey questioned just over 7,000 expats, 71 were in China and half of those praised China’s better work-life balance compared with what they experienced at home, 56% said the quality of education was better, two-thirds said it was an easy place to make friends, and nearly three-quarters said their children were safer than they were at home. One respondent said that China had “scenic views, lovely weather and good employment opportunities with less competition".
However the response wasn’t so clever when it came to air quality. Anyone who has travelled to China will know that the smog is often shocking making it tricky sometimes even to see across the street. Businesses have said they are having an increasingly hard time recruiting workers in Beijing because of the city’s chronic pollution. Other major population centres have a problem too.
Image: Shanghai.