British expats better paid and healthier, work longer hours

One in 10 highly-skilled UK citizens now live overseas as the brain drain from the country continues to rise, revealed research from University College London (UCL).

The research showed that around 4.7 million Brits now resided abroad, with the US, Canada and Australia the three most popular destinations, followed by New Zealand, Ireland and Spain.

The study indicated that the reason many skilled Brits chose to emigrate was because of the high number of well-educated immigrants arriving from other countries, particularly South Asia nations.

Brits who had relocated to Australia and North America earn on average 25 per cent more than people in similar jobs back home, but on average they work for 55 hours rather than 44 in the UK. Meanwhile, 86 per cent of expats in North America described their health as “excellent or very good”, compared to just 61 per cent in the UK.

The UCL Institute of Education’s Dr John Jerrim, who led the research team, said that not much was previously known about the differences in quality of life, work and earnings between UK expats and those who stayed in the country. He noted that although there were some key differences, they were not as pronounced as possibly expected, adding that although many may emigrate in search of a better quality of life, it was not always achieved.