Your Country DOESN’T Need You – 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%. 

Average salary increase / decrease compared to the UK (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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:

The best and worst places to relocate to based on job role (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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:

The best and worst places to relocate to based on job role part 2 (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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

The best and worst places to relocate to based on job role part 3 (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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!

The best place for a payrise (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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.

The best paying country overall (infographic) - 1st Move International removals

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

Countries with the highest and lowest salaries overall (infographic) - 1st Move International Removals

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. 

Top 5 paying jobs per country vs the UK (infographic) - 1st Move International removals.

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.


About 1st Move International

1st Move International are a specialist international moving and shipping company offering packing, shipping and insurance for shipping household goods and personal effects overseas. We have a global reach covering over 80 countries and 6500 worldwide destinations. You can get an international removals quote here or find more information on our international moving services here.

Avatar for Mike Harvey
As the Managing Director of 1st Move International, Mike Harvey brings more than two decades of logistics expertise and three years of specialised experience in international relocations to his role. His comprehensive knowledge spans the intricacies of overseas shipping, secondary yet crucial areas such as visa application processes and immigration requirements, and the wider topic of moving abroad including topics such as comparative analyses of cost of living, healthcare and educational systems worldwide. This expertise allows 1st Move International to equip people with the information they need to not just move overseas, but to make informed decisions about whether, and where, to relocate.