Europe’s best country to work in is perfect for British expats

Fed up with your job? If you’re looking for a new career opportunity abroad, there’s one European country that might be the answer.

A new study from the team at Instant Offices found that Norway was the best country in the world for British expats to work in.

The country scored highly when it came to equality, LGBTQ+ rights, parental leave and work-life balance.

While Norway doesn’t have a general minimum wage, some sectors have a minimum wage under collective agreement. In 2023, the minimum hourly wage for a hotel worker is NOK 152.34 per hour (£11.36).

Norway has a generous parental leave scheme with parents entitled to a total of 12 months leave as well as one year each immediately after the child’s birth.

Norway’s good work-life balance might also contribute to its long life expectancy and high happiness levels.

British expats will find Norway is more expensive in general than the UK. Numbeo estimates that the cost of living is nearly 25 percent higher in Norway than in the UK.

A meal at a cheap restaurant might cost as much as £15 in Norway with the highest prices in the capital Oslo and tourist destinations such as Bergen and Tromso.

Despite this, wages are generally higher than in the UK and expats will have access to breathtaking nature. Norway actually has Europe’s longest coastline.

Australia was the world’s next best place to work according to the study, while the Netherlands rounded off the top three.

France, Canada and Germany were also ranked as good places to work, all scoring higher than the UK.