According to a recent Cigna 360 Wellbeing-Survey, up to 37 percent of expats are likely to relocate to their home country. However, despite the eagerness of many expats to return home, the Covid-19 pandemic has done little to dissuade adventurous professionals who are looking for opportunities beyond their native borders. In fact, their aspirations for life overseas has seen an increase, with up to 23 percent of people currently based in their home country expressing a desire to relocate.
The survey states that approximately 35 percent of local employees cited better job opportunities and career advancement as one of their top priorities for considering a career overseas. Many also wished to experience new cultures (35 percent) and have also expressed a desire to learn new skills (27 percent). Interestingly enough, expats were noted to have higher well-being scores across the board when compared with local employees.
This is not to say that expats were not without their worries. The uncertainty of the pandemic have stoked stress and financial worries amongst expats. While expats generally experience better well-being scores, up to 89 percent of expats have admitted to feeling stressed out compared to 82 percent of local employees. Despite this, close to half (45 percent) of expats have reported high resilience compared to 37 percent of local employees living in their home countries.
On a related note, a good majority of expat workers has expressed interest in companies to go the extra mile in providing support structures that help them manage their overall stress. Unfortunately, many of these companies are not meeting expectations. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for businesses and HR leaders to bridge the gaps in expat support infrastructure.
