Small Business
Female expats fly higher
by Keris Lahiff
Working overseas can prove a boon to your career success if you’re a woman, according to an international survey by global recruitment agency Hydrogen Group. The survey on global mobility in the workplace analysed responses from 2637 professionals across 85 different countries earning on average AU$100,000 and with qualifications of a bachelor degree or higher.
Ninety-one per cent of those surveyed were currently working abroad or looking do so and 100 per cent of females surveyed stated they would recommend working abroad to others. The vast majority of female respondents stated working overseas had improved career prospects, salaries, living conditions and personal development.
In fact, many companies actively seek out workers with international experience.
“Our Australian clients are increasingly requesting women with international experience,” says Emma Halls, director of Hydrogen ANZ. “The global job opportunities for professional Australian women with overseas knowledge are numerous. The general consensus being that when women work abroad, they will come home to Australia with a wealth of experience that gives them the edge in advancing their careers here.”
However, the survey also found that despite an equal amount of women and men expressing a desire to relocate overseas (41 per cent to 46 per cent of men), it was far more likely for men to realise the dream. Men working abroad outnumbered women four to one and of those Australian working overseas, 33 per cent are women and 67 per cent men.
The results of the survey are published in Hydrogen’s report Global Professionals on the Move 2011.
Published on: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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