RP not among world's expat-friendly nations

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines failed to make it to the list of countries most welcoming to expatriates, a glaring omission for a country whose people are known as among the world’s most hospitable.

Canada, Germany and Australia topped the countries where expatriates have a relatively easy time befriending locals, joining a local community group and learning the local language, the survey conducted by HSBC said.

Almost 95 percent of the 2,155 expat respondents to HSBC Bank International’s Expat Explorer Survey said they have made friends with locals in Canada.

Ninety-two percent of the respondents who come from 48 countries, established friendships in Germany and 91 percent made pals in Australia.

The United Arab Emirates, meantime, was found to be the country most difficult for expats, with only 54 percent of respondents saying they have made friends with the locals.

The United Kingdom landed in fourth spot, followed by India (5) and the United States (6).

Hong Kong and Spain tied for seventh place, followed by France (9), Netherlands (10), China (11), Belgium (12), Singapore (13), and the United Arab Emirates (14).

The countries with less than 30 respondents were deemed statistically insignificant.

The survey was conducted between February and April 2008.

Respondents rated countries in four categories – ability to befriend locals, number that joined a community group, number that learned the language and percentage that bought property.

Martin Spurling, CEO of HSBC Bank International and Head of HSBC Global Offshore, said they conducted the survey to better understand the needs and emotions of expatriates.

“The banking business is all about trust, especially with the recent credit crisis,” Spurling said. “We want the expats to build a relationship with their wealth manager regardless of where they travel.”