Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman is ranked 12th among 52 countries preferred by expatriates who choose to leave their home country either for settling in or for work.
According to the Expat Insider 2022, published by InterNations, 72 percent of the expats who live in Oman are happy with their quality of life in the country, slightly above the global happiness average of 71 percent.
“Oman ranks 12th out of 52: Housing is easy to find and to afford, and it is easy for expats to settle in,” said the report. “Expats find it very easy to find their footing in Oman, as the country ranks 5th out of 52 in the Ease of Settling In Index. In fact, nearly four in five expats in Oman (79 percent) feel welcome there (66 percent globally).”
The report added: “With a friendly and welcoming culture, finding friends is also a high point. Oman ranks tenth in this subcategory.”
However, Oman does not do as well when it comes to the benefits of working abroad (for which it ranks 39th among 52 countries), as well as the quality of life (38th). Oman was also given a middling grade for personal finances (21st).
The construction and education sectors (13 percent) and the manufacturing, engineering and hospitality sectors (nine percent) are those that employ the highest numbers of expatriates who come to Oman. The report adds that roughly about a quarter of the expatriates who arrive in Oman for work (23 percent) earn between $25,000 and $50,000 (OMR 10,000 to 20,000), while another 21 percent earns between $12,000 and $25,000 and the same proportion of population earns less than $12,000.
About a third of the expatriates who are employed in Oman found work on their own (32 percent), while 25 percent were recruited internationally, and eight percent were sent to the country by their employers.
Oman’s ranking of 38th on the Quality of Life Index was due to five related factors: The country did well when it came to its environment and climate (ranked 20th among 52 countries), as well as safety and security (24th), but was ranked significantly lower when it came to health and well-being (42nd) and leisure options (49th). It did fairly okay in terms of travel and transit options, ranked 35th.
Oman did really well in the Ease of Settling In Index as well, ranked fifth overall: The country is in the top three for local friendliness, top 10 when it comes to finding friends and is ranked eighth in terms of culture and welcoming nature.
The country’s ranking of 39th on the Working Abroad Index is also due to four factors: While expatriates appreciated the work-life balance in the country (26th among 52 countries), the country unfortunately did not do so well in terms of either career prospects (40th), or salary and job security (41st). Oman is also ranked 36th when it comes to work culture and satisfaction.
A new metric for measuring the happiness of expatriates featured in the Expat Insider 2022 is the Expat Essentials Index.
“For the first time, the ranking also includes the new Expat Essentials Index, which covers digital life, admin topics, housing, and language,” said the report.
Oman’s high placement of fifth on the index was due to high scores in administration topics, housing and language, but was pulled down by its low digital life score (38th). The country also ranked 21st among 52 countries when it came to personal finances.
The Expat Insider 2022 survey, published by InterNations, an expatriate community with more than four million members, featured responses from 12,000 people.
Mexico, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal, Spain, the UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore are the best destinations for expats in 2022, while the worst are Kuwait (52nd), New Zealand, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Japan, South Africa, Turkey, Italy and Malta (43rd).
