Top 5 Countries Where Expats Earn More Money

Top 5 Countries Where Expats Earn More Money

We examine where in the world expats are currently earning the most money and enjoying the highest disposable incomes

The global economic situation is far from positive and affluent at the moment, which means that many people are considering a move overseas in a bid to escape the worst of the financial doom and gloom in their own home country.  The only trouble with taking this approach is that you have to ensure you pick the right nation to relocate to, otherwise you could be in a worse situation if you're not careful!

Many of the world's countries have been affected – whether directly or indirectly - by a whole host of negative fiscal issues, therefore choosing the nation you relocate to next must be done very carefully indeed, if you are to prosper.

The good news is, if you have your heart set on moving to a nation where you can earn more and/or have greater disposable income, HSBC's Expat Explorer survey results for 2011 reveal the top 5 countries where expats currently earn more money, and have more money to spend and enjoy.  In this report we're going to take a look at each of the top 5 nations in turn…

1)  Saudi Arabia

Expats living in Saudi report having significantly strong disposable income: in part this is because their salaries are less eroded by taxation, and in part this is because many expats in Saudi still enjoy attractive employment packages. 

Such packages can include accommodation or money towards accommodation – and if you remove taxation and housing from your monthly wage, you're left with a lot more money to play with.

However, another reason why expats report having strong disposable income levels is because there is less for them to spend their money on locally.  Saudi is not a party capital like Dubai for example!  Which is also perhaps why the expats surveyed in Saudi report that a key way for them to enjoy their excess cash is from taking luxurious holidays elsewhere!

2)  Egypt

Interestingly Egypt scores exceptionally well in HSBC's Expat Economics survey, but it performs badly in their Expat Experience survey.  This is strongly attributed to the deterioration on the local political scene, and the knock on effects this has had nationwide for personal security for example.

Expats living in Egypt cite strong salary options, strong disposable income factors, and rather than splurging their excess wealth, they are far more likely to save their money.  Again, perhaps this is because of the instability that such expats live with in their day-to-day lives in Egypt at the current time.

It's also worth noting that there is quite a fast turn over of expats in Egypt – perhaps again because of the unstable landscape, it's not an environment where expats remain for the medium to long-term at the current time.

3)  Singapore

Singapore is a high paying, high earning location, where expats also benefit from lower levels of taxation.  They end up having more disposable income as a result but – and it's a big but – the cost of living in Singapore can be very high and demanding. 

What this means is that whilst Singapore reached number 2 in terms of the nations where expats' incomes are highest, it dropped down a place as soon as affordability was brought into the equation.

To enjoy a good standard of living, expats have to pay out a lot for the likes of accommodation and education…

4)  Russia

Russia scored particularly highly for income levels and disposable income levels, with expats reporting that on many levels, affording a decent standard of living in Russia was eminently achievable.  However, from our own research there is a very noticeable discrepancy between salary levels for jobs in different sectors.

Whilst this is of course the fact in any nation, in Russia even some of the sectors where expats might expect to find high paying jobs have limited salary options.  Therefore, if you're looking at Russia, ensure your salary expectations are realistic!

5)  Switzerland

Switzerland has a lot in common with Singapore for expats in terms of money matters.  It's a nation with high salaries and low taxes, where expats enjoy strong disposable income – but where that wealth is quickly eroded by the day-to-day cost of living for those who want to achieve a high standard of living.

No one should ever underestimate the cost of living in Switzerland – from accommodation to groceries, from education to healthcare, costs are universally high. 

Therefore, if you've been offered work in the nation and it appears to be exceptionally well paid, ensure you visit and examine what costs you could face as an expat before you commit to your relocation.

In Conclusion…

From the results of HSBC's Expat Explorer survey it's possible to compare the wealth enjoyed by expats in many nations around the world. 

The above detailed 5 nations come out on top in terms of countries where expats specifically earn more – but because the cost of living and the quality of life achievable overseas are of equal importance to many expats, you may want to concentrate your own research on where in the world offers you a perfect balance between all the critical aspects for your relocation.

The results of the survey are available online.

View full page: www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/2/countries-where-expats-earn-more-11148

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Work/Life Balance Is A Myth; Here's What You Can Do About It

When I ask busy executives to describe a satisfying life, they often envision a scenario in which they work hard but dictate their own assignments. They want time to take part in important family events. They are eager to make real contributions to their organizations, and they also want breaks when they're tired. What they really need is control. But, frequently, what they think they want is balance--and that's where trouble starts.

Here's what I tell them: work-life balance is a myth. That myth compels many of us to view an ideal life as a set of perfectly level scales. On the tray on one side is your personal life. On the other side is your work life. With heroic efforts, you can keep both trays exactly level. If one starts to tip too far, you make some kind of nifty move that balances them again.

In reality, that perfect balance almost never occurs, except for those rare, fleeting moments when the trays pass each other on the way up or down--and we're too frazzled to appreciate that brief moment of self-actualization anyway.

There's always a lot of chatter in the media about the latest trends in work-life balance. As recently as last month, Reuters published a piece about Volkswagen agreeing to deactivate the BlackBerrys of German staff members when their shifts are over, so they can really go off the clock. Having followed articles like these for years, as well as through reflecting on conversations with clients and colleagues, I've noticed a couple trends of my own. First, when it comes to work-life balance, we often adopt a victim mind-set. Our lives are out of balance not through our own fault but because of something someone else--a preoccupied spouse, nasty boss, or needy kid--is doing, or not doing. Second, we want to believe there's a quick fix that we're somehow overlooking.

Among those supposed fixes:

Working from home gives you the best of both worlds: A decade or so ago, when my three boys were very young, I ran across one of those "you can have it all" articles that was accompanied by a laughable photo. A clean-cut, preppy guy sat in his home office in rays of sunlight, sipping coffee and joyfully pecking away at his laptop as he balanced a toddler on his knee. I had attempted a similar trick, under pressing deadlines, on numerous occasions. What did I learn? Doing what that guy in the photo was doing is impossible for more than a few minutes at a time. The only thing we had in common was a love of coffee, which would quickly be spilled on the laptop by my toddler. You can save yourself a ton of hassle by learning to say no: I tried this once back in junior high, when I took out the trash and mowed the grass at a cafeteria. The owner wanted me to do additional work in the kitchen, but I told him, no, I liked working outside more. The very next day he had me on a ladder with a paint scraper--and there I stayed for two miserable months. Lesson learned: don't say if no if you don't have any leverage.Getting more help around the house makes it all better: There's definitely something to be said for having someone clean the house or mow the lawn. In theory, it gives people more time to do what they want to do. In practice, however, what I've seen is that people often invest that free time in doing more work. And that points to another faulty assumption in the work-life debates--that everybody wants more time away from work. In fact, some people--and I've met many of them throughout two decades of working closely with leaders--don't really want balance. Their identity is rooted in work, and that's where they want to be. Outside of work, in the complex dance of family and community responsibilities, they lose their autonomy. Their professional expertise doesn't mean much. They no longer have control.

And control, in my view, is what we're really trying to get to with all the chatter about balance. We need better ways to manage work-life boundaries, understanding that we are subject to phases, often dictated by events out of our control, in which our work lives and personal lives ebb and flow in their demands. The more we assume actual leadership of our own lives, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for us, the better prepared we are to deal with this unending juggle.

Here are a few ideas for getting started:

Shore up the home front: A lot of stress in our lives, the kind that throws us way off balance, starts with relationship problems at home. Work on them. Get counseling, talk to your spouse and kids. If returning to your family after a day of work fills you with angst, that's a situation only you can repair. Take ownership of the problem, and you'll feel better for it.Quit complaining: If you feel overworked to the point that you complain about it constantly, how do you think everyone around you feels about it? It's trendy in many companies to run around with multiple, flashing digital devices strapped to our belts or spread out on the table, just so everyone can see how unbelievably busy and important we are. Reinvest that energy in reframing your career possibilities.Say "no" strategically: The best time to take control of a job is before you accept it. Once you accept it, your negotiating power plummets. So set some ground rules. Be clear on how your performance will be measured. Test the waters. Does everyone in this organization work constantly? If so, don't be surprised when that happens to you a few months later. If your boss loads you up with one more task, try to get an old one off your plate.

Forget about the even scales. It's a really bad analogy. Take control instead.

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El FBI cierra Megaupload,se enfrentan a 50 años de prisión

El Departamento de Estado de EEUU, junto al FBI y otras autoridades internacionales, ha liderado una operación contra la popular página web de intercambio de archivos Megaupload, que ha sido clausurada, y contra varios de sus responsables, que han resultado detenidos y acusados en el estado de Virginia (EEUU) de conspiración para cometer un crimen y violación de la propiedad intelectual.

El fundador del sitio, Kim 'Dotcom' es el principal acusado, y se podría enfrentar a 50 años de prisión

La operación se ha dirigido contra dos compañías, Megaupload Limited y Vestor Limited, y en estos momentos las páginas webMegaupload -intercambio de archivos- y Megavideo -visualización de vídeos en Internet-, ambas propiedad de las mismas compañías, se encuentran inaccesibles, como también lo están Megapix, Megalive y Megabox.

El Departamento de Justicia acusa a siete de los responsables de estas compañías de crimen organizado y asegura que son "responsables" de "piratería masiva en todo el mundo de diferentes tipos de obras protegidas por derechos de propiedad intelectual". Además, en la nota hecha pública se asegura que estas páginas han generado más de 175 millones de dólares en actividades delictivas y que han causado "más de 500 millones de dólares en daños a los propietarios de las obras protegidas".

Hasta 50 años de prisión

La denuncia contra los acusados se cursó el 5 de enero en EEUU, y los cargos concretos son participar en una conspiración de crimen organizado, cometer infracciones de derechos de autor de forma masiva, blanqueo de dinero y dos cargos criminales de violación de la propiedad intelectual. Así, cada uno de los siete acusados se enfrentan a penas de hasta 50 años de prisión entre todos los cargos.

El pirata informático Kim 'Dotcom', acomodado en el interior de su avión particular.

Así, la demanda de la administración estadounidense identifica al fundador de las compañías, el alemán Kim 'Dotcom', alias de Kim Schmitz como Kim 'Tim Jim Vestor', de 37 años y residente en Hong Kong y Nueva Zelanda, de liderar esta red criminal. Dotcom sería el director yúnico accionista de Vestor Limited, que sería la compañía utilizada para encubrir sus actividades en todas las páginas web afiliadas a la red 'Mega'.

El FBI ha incautado 50 millones de dólares en bienes y 18 dominios de Internet

'Dotcom' es un 'hacker' millonario alemán de 38 años residente desde 2010 en Nueva Zelanda aficionado a los coches deportivos y las mujeres, según un perfil publicado en la prensa neozelandesa. Considerado uno de las 10 personas más ricas del país, está casado y tiene tres hijos.

Además del fundador, han sido acusados el director de márketing Finn Batato, de 38 años y ciudadano de Alemania; Julius Bencko, diseñador, de 35 años y ciudadano de Eslovaquia; Sven Echternach, director de desarrollo de negocio, 39 años y ciudadano de Alemania; Mathias Ortmann, director técnico, cofundador y director, 40 años y ciudadano de Alemania; Andrus Nomm, programador, de 32 años y ciudadano de Estonia; y Bram van der Zolk, programador, de 29 años y ciudadano holandés.

De los acusados, Dotcom, Batato, Ortmann y Van der Kolk fueron detenidos de forma provisional en Auckland, Nueva Zelanda, a petición de EEUU. Bencko, Echternach y Nomm, por ahora, permanecen en libertad. Además, se han ejecutado más de 20 intervenciones de bienes en nueve países, con las que se han incautado alrededor de 50 millones de dólares. También se han intervenido servidores de la compañía en Virginia, Washington, Holanda y Canadá. Asimismo, se han retenido 18 dominios de Internet asociados con las compañías intervenidas.

Beneficios 'ilegales': 175 millones de dólares

En su nota, el Departamento de Justicia explica que durante cinco años estas compañías, a las que acusan de ser toda una red de "conspiración", han gestionado páginas web que "reproducen y distribuyen copias no autorizadas protegidas por propiedad intelectual en una escala masiva". Así, estima que Megaupload sumaba 150 millones de usuarios registrados, 50 millones de usuarios diarios y alrededor del 4% del tráfico de Internet. Con estos datos, se asegura, sin otra valoración, que el daño causado a las compañías propietarias de los derechos de propiedad intelectual es de 500 millones de dólares.

Asimismo, se establecen los beneficios "ilegales" logradas por los acusados en dichos años en 175 millones de dólares a través de publicidad y venta de cuentas 'premium'. Además, según la demanda, se les acusa de blanquear dinero "pagando a usuarios" a través de un sistema de incentivos a quienes publicasen archivos con más descargas y con pagos a otras compañías para alojar contenido que infringía la propiedad intelectual.

La demanda destaca que Megaupload 'ocultaba' el contenido protegido para no tener que eliminarlo

También se detalla el modo de funcionamiento de Megaupload, es decir, la posibilidad de 'subir' y descargar archivos y se asegura que el modelo de negocio de la compañía estaba "expresamente diseñado para promover la publicación de las obras protegidas más populares para que fuesen descargadas por millones de usuarios".

Así, se alega que el sitio estaba construido para desalentar a los usuarios de su uso para fines personales debido a que se eliminaban los archivos "que no eran descargados de forma regular". De la misma manera, se destaca que otro indicio del comportamiento delictivo es que se incentivaba a aquellos usuarios capaces de generar más descargas y tráfico en el sitio, y que se les pagaba en función de sus resultados aun cuando los propietarios eran conscientes de que para conseguirlo publicaban obras protegidas y las promocionaban en otras páginas web.

No es lo único que se utiliza para acusar a los propietarios de Megaupload de conspiración. Se destaca que la página no contaba con un buscador ni con otras formas de localizar contenido para que no fuesen fácilmente accesibles los archivos protegidos. Además, se alega que no se cerraban cuentas de usuarios infractores, como era obligación de la página, y que en muchos casos se retrasaba la retirada de contenidos protegidos y se tergiversaban los términos en que estaban protegidos por derechos de autor.

Un día después de las protestas contra la SOPA

Una operación que se produce un día después de que una serie de páginas web protestaran por la iniciativa SOPA, que busca promulgar una ley que, en EEUU, permita bloquear páginas web extranjeras que perjudiquen obras protegidas por derechos de autor.

Sin embargo, en ningún caso se vincula la operación con esta medida. Según la información publicada, la investigación está dirigida por el fiscal del distrito este de Virginia y la sección de propiedad intelectual del Departamento de Justicia de EEUU a instancia del FBI y el Centro Nacional de Coordinación de la Propiedad Intelectual (IPR en inglés).

En diciembre una serie de grandes artistas apoyaron a Megaupload por su utilidad

Megaupload es una de las más importantes páginas web de intercambio de archivos del mundo. Está en funcionamiento desde 2005 y permite 'subir' todo tipo de archivos que después pueden ser descargados en cualquier otro ordenador. Asimismo, Megavideo permite a cualquier usuario publicar vídeos que después pueden visualizarse en cualquier parte, como hace YouTube.

Ambas páginas web han sido habitualmente señaladas por las compañías de contenidos por facilitar la descarga y visualización de obras protegidas por derechos de autor. Ambos sitios, que muchos consideran centros de las descargas no autorizadas de música, películas, series o libros protegidos, ha sido perseguido por la industria del porno, las autoridades inglesas, francesas, italianas e incluso estadounidenses, Google y la RIAA a través de Mastercard, entre otras.

 

Hasta ahora, la compañía había resistido amparada en que, además de alojar contenido protegido por derechos de autor, había muchos usuarios que utilizaban el servicio de intercambio de archivos de forma legítima y privada. Además, no dudaba en eliminar todo el contenido susceptible de estar protegido que las compañías reclaman. El pasado diciembre, una serie de grandes artistas, de Will.i.am a Jamie Foxx apoyaron la página web con un vídeo en la que alababan sus bondades.

fuente: elmundo.es

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