Accueil > Expat Lab > Barometer > Why go abroad in 2023? Expat Communication 2023 Barometer, results survey N°1

Why go abroad in 2023? Expat Communication 2023 Barometer, results survey N°1

3,742 responses, a new persona-based data process, 9 years of experience… The Expat Communication 2023 Barometer continues to shed light on the different faces of expatriation.This first survey, conducted online during the month of February 2023, analyzes the motivations for expatriation.

Expatriation as a « jump-starter for a career » no longer seems to be the main benefit or take-away that expatriates expect from their experience abroad.

This first survey focuses on the reasons for leaving. It analyzes the motivations, goals, and constraints that expatriates express. It then investigates what life is really like “on the ground”: Have expatriates found their place? What surprises have come up during this particular expatriation? And finally, what is their assessment of this experience? Let’s take a look at an overview of our conclusions.

A big thank you to all the expats who participated in this survey, our media partners who relayed the survey to their networks, and our Board members who contributed to the excellence of this project.

1. Expat morale

On a scale of 1 to 100, in March 2023,the level of expatriate morale is at 68. Compared to 2021, it has increased by 7 points, and remains stable compared to 2022, but still well below the pre-Covid morale level. Concerns are primarily about the future from both a geopolitical and climate perspective.

2. The trigger for expatriation: a personal choice

Expatriation is becoming more and more of a desire for personal fulfilment. In fact, 71% of the respondents to the survey went abroad based on a personal desire to live abroad and only 29% left following a proposal from an employer. The reason for departure is primarily the desire for an interpersonal and/or family adventure (48% of the respondents in 2023) – a percentage that continues to increase. Professional reasons for expatriation only come in at 4th position: 31% consider expatriation as an opportunity for career development.

However, financial conditions remain an essential factor for expatriation. 55% of the respondents consider this a decisive point for them.

3. The benefits, difficulties, and surprises of expatriation

The majority of those who responded to the survey feel that they are where they belong. 66% feel they have “found their place” in expatriation, only 3% say they have not found their place and 31% who are neutral on the subject. Moreover, even if the majority of the respondents consider their expatriation as a personal choice, 54% point out that professional relationships are the main mode of integration in expatriation.

The perceived benefits from expatriation are primarily personal. Personal development is the most cited benefit (68%). In second and third place are discovering the country (66%) and discovering a new culture (44%). An increase in the standard of living and a common family experience follow (41%).

The difficulties encountered in expatriation are also mostly personal. Nostalgia and missing family are first (45%). The second difficulty is the language barrier (32%), followed by homesickness (29%), feelings of loneliness and isolation (26%), and difficulties integrating (24%).

What surprises expats most when they arrive in their host country?

The most prominent surprise, on both professional and personal levels, is the ability to adapt rapidly to new surroundings.

From a professional point of view, the surprises encountered are the change in pace and work practices in place in different countries. Another surprise is cultural differences, widely cited in the survey. Many point out a sense of loneliness and isolation as well.

From a personal point of view, yhe difficulty integrating is also mentioned; aspects of discrimination and racism in the host country was noted.

Finally, the positive impact on the family is highlighted: expatriates emphasize a strengthening of ties with those family members present during the expatriation, and for others, developing a new approach to managing relationships with those have stayed in another country.

4. A superficial and incomplete preparation for expatriation

The majority of expatriates who responded to the survey did not receive any supportto prepare for expatriation. On average, 35% do not know that this type of support exists! 26% of respondants did not want or actively seek this type of support.

Consultating the Internet and websites comes in at the top of the preparation tools for departure.

5. A widely shared secret: the ingredients for a successful expatriation

According to the respondents, a successful expatriation would be a mixture of three ingredients:

1) The development and well-being of family members;
2) A balance between personal and professional life ;
3) A sense of feeling integrated or being able to adapt to the local culture, taking advantage of rich cultural opportunities, and a certain openness to the world.

In 2023, international mobility meets the increasingly personal aspirations of expatriates to live a fulfilling family and cultural experience. For the partners of the Expat Communication Barometer Board, this survey highlights the importance of continuing to inform the general public so that expatriation is a positive and safe adventure for everyone.

Learn more about the Expat Communication Barometer

Next survey on April 17 : career and expatriation. To register.

Press contact: Frédéric Lorey : fredlorey.rp@gmail.com

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