Where to Move if You Want an Instant Pay Rise

We’re living in an increasingly globalised society, and these days, staying ahead might mean moving away. Which country should you move to make the most out of your career?

If there’s one thing we know at 1st Move International, it’s international removals! We also know that many people relocate due to their jobs, but why is this such a common reason to move abroad?

We’ve taken the UK’s highest and lowest paying jobs and calculated the average salaries for these roles across 20 countries with the highest levels of UK expats to reveal just how much more you could be earning for doing the same job, somewhere else!

1. Average Salary Increase, Compared to the UK

On average, it’s Switzerland which has the largest salary increase overall,  when compared to the same roles in the UK – a wallet-friendly 100.16%! The USA comes next with 54.39% increase, followed by New Zealand on 46.65%. 

It might not be worth moving to Argentina, where salaries are a huge 84.21% down on those in the UK, and India and Russia don’t fare much better, with employees earning -79.03% and -48.27% less than their UK counterparts doing the same job. 

2. Best and Worst Places to Relocate Based on Job

See how the salaries stack up worldwide. Here’s 10 of the highest paying roles in the world alongside the 5 best paying, and 5 worst paying countries:

If you’re an Aircraft Pilot, for example, it may be worth considering China for your next career move – demand for new pilots has really taken off, driving salaries sky-high! And Doctors and Dentists would do well to move to the United States.

HR Managers and Sales Managers would do well heading to Switzerland:

And what about the lower-paying roles? Where should bakers, barman and beauticians move to for career success?

3. Revealed: The Best Place for a Pay Rise

If you’re a Quantity Surveyor, get yourself to New Zealand! The best role and country for a pay rise, moving to New Zealand as a Quantity Surveyor will see an enormous 1187.42% increase on your salary as you leap from £38k up to £492k!

If you’re a Cleaner, you’ll certainly ‘clean up’ if you move from the UK to Austria where you’ll essentially double your yearly salary. 

4. Highest Paying Country Overall

Considering the UK has the 5th biggest economy on the planet, it comes as a bit of a surprise that UK salaries don’t even make the overall top 10 list.

In fact, the UK is only the 12th highest overall. If you like a side of money with your mountain air, then Switzerland comes out on top, with a huge wage bill £2,269,365.28 total across all featured jobs. You can browse some of Switzerland’s largest employers over at Glassdoor.

5. Countries With The Highest and Lowest Salaries Across All Jobs

The three countries with the highest average annual salaries are Switzerland, the USA and New Zealand – with £75k, £62k and £53k respectively.

The three lowest are Argentina, with £5k, India with £10k and South Africa with £18k per year

6. Top 5 Paying Jobs in 10 Countries, Compared with UK Salaries 

We’ve taken the top 5 paying roles in ten of the highest paying countries, and calculated how much you could stand to lose or gain moving from the UK. 

Methodology
Data on the UK’s top 20 highest paying and top 10 lowest paying jobs was sourced from the Office of National Statistics. Countries featured were taken from Gilles Pison’s United Nations data on the most migrated to countries in the world. Salaries were then found using a combination of Glassdoor, Payscale, Neuvoo and other sources.

If you’ve been inspired to work abroad, 1st Move International can help with your move. Get information on our international removals services here.