According to a survey by Mercer, it’s not who you might think! By looking at a country’s statutory annual leave, statutory holidays and public holidays, they compiled a list of where employees get the most time off. One caveat: it’s based on what an employee working a five-day week for 10 years is entitled to.

At the top? Brazil and Lithuania, with 41 days annually. Finland, France and Russia follow, with 40 days. The rest of Europe gets 33-38 days.

Where does the US fit? At the bottom with 10 days, because the US has no statutory vacation requirement. (They do note that many employers give 15 days of vacation after 10 years of service.) China beats the US, with 21 days off. Interestingly, Hungary calculates mandatory vacation time based on the age of the employee, with more time off as you age.

Do you have an experience or story about time off from work you’d like to share? Click the Comment link below.

International Living’s annual Quality of Life Index. Every year, IL produces a Quality of Life index, which usually differs quite a bit from their recommendations on best places to retire. France has topped the list for several years running.

1. France (was #1 last year as well)
2. Australia (moved up from #5 in 2009)
3. Switzerland (down one spot)
4. Germany (up from the #8 spot in 2009)
5. New Zealand (up from #9)
6. Luxembourg (down from #4)
7. USA (down from #3)
8. Belgium (down from #6)
9. Canada (a big jump up, from #19)
10. Italy (down from #7)

Top Ten Retirement Havens from Live and Invest Overseas

1. Argentina
2. Belize
3. Chile
4. Croatia
5. Dominican Republic
6. France
7. Malaysia
8. Panama
9. Uruguay
10. Vietnam

Mercer’s Best Cities for 2009:

1. Vienna, Austria (1st)
2. Zurich, Switzerland (2nd)
3. Geneva, Switzerland (3rd )
4. Vancouver, Canada (tied 4th)
5. Auckland, New Zealand (tied 4th)

Forbes list of The World’s Most Expensive Cities to Live. According to Forbes, the 10 most expensive cities are:

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Osaka, Japan
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Geneva, Switzerland
5. Hong Kong, China
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. New York, USA
9. Beijing, China
10. Singapore

2009 Best Retirement Havens, according to International Living:

1. Cuenca, Ecuador
2. Merida, Mexico
3. Coronado, Panama
4. Punta del Este, Uruguay
5. Calitri, Italy

So there you have it. Some highly respected lists from 2009, and one for 2010.

Best wishes for a happy expat New Year!

Expat Explorer Survey: Expat Economics

St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow

HSBC has just released the first segment of its 2009 Expat Explorer Survey, Expat Economics. Over 3100 expats working in 26 countries were questioned about their financial circumstances. The survey respondents were all expats who were employed full time in their expat country. Some of the findings were no surprise, but others are worth noting.

Expats in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries whose economies are growing rapidly did well. So did expats in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. In fact, most of the positive movement was in the East.

Expats surveyed were able to save more if they were in Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India and UAE than they could at home. Expats in France, Spain, UK, Japan and the USA saved less. Disposable income was highest in Qatar, Russia, Japan, UAE and Saudi Arabia, lowest in Belgium, Australia, Germany, Canada and France.

Expats in the US and UK were most likely to cut back their spending on essentials.

The survey also looked at quality of life regionally, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The report didn’t specify what the quality of life rankings included, but their results were a little surprising: Switzerland, Qatar, Russia and Mexico held the top spots for their respective regions.

The biggest surprise to me was the country that’s home to the wealthiest expats – Russia.

You can download the full report here.

Have a comment? Click the link below.