An international survey seems to confirm what many expatriates living in Norway have experienced for a long time: It’s hard to build a career. Norway and the Nordic countries in general ranked poorly regarding career prospects for foreign nationals.
Norway ranked 53rd out of 67 countries in terms of career prospects for expats, followed by Sweden in 54th place and Finland down near the bottom, in 62nd place. The survey was conducted for InterNations, which bills itself as a global network and information site for people who live and work abroad.
Its annual Expat Insider survey questioned around 14,300 expats representing 174 nationalities and living in 191 countries or territories. They were asked to rate and provide information on various aspects of expat life. For a country to featured in the indices, and in the overall ranking, a sample size of at least 50 survey participants per country was necessary.
In the latest survey conducted in 2016, 67 countries met the requirements for the overall ranking, with many receiving far more than the minimum required. The US won the top spot as the country with the best career prospects for expats, but ranked poorly regarding the work-life balance, at 51st. The US was followed by the UK, Taiwan, Ecuador and Romania in overall career prospects. Australia was 6th and also fared well in the work-life balance.
The worst countries for career prospects were mostly in Europe, with Greece ranking last in 67th place, followed by Italy and Portugal. Finland, Sweden and Norway weren’t far behind, for failing to offer “satisfying career options for working expats.” Only 43 percent of those questioned in Norway, which has been criticized for its tough immigration rules, failing to seek out global talent and the reluctance of companies to hire non-Norwegian workers, rated their career prospects positively, even though Norway also scored the best in work-life balance and relatively high job security.
For more details on the survey, click here (external link).
newsinenglish.no staff
