Britain is the most expensive country for companies to send expat workers, according to new research.
Expat pay packages have soared by £44,688 to £311,240, say global mobility experts ECA International.
The data comes from the firm’s annual expat pay survey that looks at the cost of salaries, benefits and tax around the world.
The 17% increase in the UK for a mid-level worker is mainly due to a big increase in staff benefit costs.
“The value of an average pay package for an expat in the UK saw a huge increase in 2018,” said Oliver Browne, Remuneration Manager at ECA International.
“The rise of £44,688 was primarily down to a major jump in the cost of benefits that companies provided their overseas workers with, such as rental costs and international school fees.
Best expat salaries with no income tax
“As the cost of expat-standard housing and rental prices increased throughout the UK, the value of benefits provided by a company to cover these costs therefore rose significantly by £23,881 on average.”
Britain moves ahead of France as the most expensive country in Europe to send an expat on assignment.
Expats looking for the best salaries with no income tax should consider Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, says the report, with both countries offering average salaries of between £71,125 and £69,280.
“The Middle East has always offered extremely high salaries to overseas workers, and 2018 was no different,” said ECA International’s remuneration manager Oliver Browne.
However, the benefits offered in these nations are not among the costliest for an employer, and the average value of benefits offered dropped in both locations last year, while the lack of any personal tax means that the overall package works out to be a lot lower when benefits and tax are both taken into account.”
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Middle manager expat pay packages split into salary, benefit and tax as GB Pounds.
Source: ECA International
