Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

"Looking for a friendly place to settle down? Then you may want to try Bahrain, which recently topped a list Forbes compiled of the ten friendliest countries for expatriates.

The tiny Middle-Eastern country provided a comfortable life for the 31 expats surveyed there. It came ahead of Canada, which had topped the list in 2008.

The perhaps surprising conclusion is drawn from data collected by HSBC for their Expat Explorer survey.

The data collected by HSBC may cause concern for those considering a move to Russia, Qater or India, who come bottom of the list for living standards for expats.

Perhaps more surprisingly, despite coming 1st for entertainment, the United Kingdom sits just above Russia, forth from bottom. Food appears to be an issue.

Are you currently, or have you ever been, an expat? Vote on the "friendliness" of the countries below and let us know about your own experiences in the comments."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/08/the-worlds-friendliest-co_n_384203.html

So, what say you, Bahraini expats? Is Forbes right or not?

[currawonger]

Stamp of approval

Bahrain has been ranked as one of the most welcoming places for expatriates to work in upsetting traditional favourities Canada and Australia, according to a global survey.More than 3,000 expatriates took part in the survey conducted by HSBC Bank.

It ranked Bahrain first in one key measure of how easy it is for expatriates to set up a new life for their families. It also received high marks from expats who like the country's easy access to modern healthcare, decent and affordable housing and network of social groups that expatriates can join.

Canada, which ranked first in a similar survey last year, fell to second place on HSBC's integration score, which measures how easily foreigners and their families can settle into a new country. Australia, Thailand and Malaysia rounded out the top five.

Foreign workers in these countries found it easy to make local friends and said they enjoyed a higher quality of life than in their native countries.

HSBC's Expat Explorer survey was conducted between February and April and respondents were from the US, Europe and elsewhere and lived in more than two dozen countries and on four continents.

They ranked their new homes based on 23 factors, including food, entertainment, healthcare, commute and education. Of those measures, HSBC selected eight to create its 'integration score', a snapshot of which countries are most welcoming to expats.

Backing the survey on finding a good home in Bahrain, Jason Mejia, Star International Real Estate country manager, said: "Property wise it is very straightforward in terms of purchasing and you don't have much worries in terms of the soliciting side. There are no taxes and it's cheaper than the rest of the GCC. "Also, if people were to buy property for investment, rental returns are considerably high compared to other countries."

On the financial front, investment advisor Osama Mohamed Muein, said: "We are very business friendly here. In fact, we are the friendliest in the region. The rules and regulations allow expats to invest easily and become professionals. Even the social life in Bahrain makes it easier for anyone coming from abroad to do business here." The UAE and the UK received some of the poorest scores on the integration scale.
Expats in the Emirates reported finding it difficult to join local community groups; only 39 per cent of respondents made local friends compared to 76 per cent of respondents living in other countries. Foreign workers in England complained about the challenges of finding affordable housing.

[currawonger]

Bahrain tops Arab world in UN e-government survey

Lebanon had a spectacular fall by 19 ranks, slipping to 93rd globally, while Syria went down from 119 to 133. Somalia remained at the end of the 184-nation survey.


Manama: Bahrain has improved its United Nations e-government readiness rankings, jumping this year to the top of the Arab world and to the third spot in Asia and to the 13th place globally. No other Arab country or Middle Eastern country has ever reached such high levels

"Our ambition was to move forward and to be among the top five countries in Asia, but thanks to the dedication and devotion of the team in charge of e-government, we have surpassed our own known abilities and jumped past several countries with a rich history of achievement in the field," Shaikh Ahmad Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, cabinet affairs minister, told the media on Monday.

"While we highly value the outstanding tribute to Bahrain's success from the United Nations, we will not fall into self-complacency and we will work harder with all our partners to enhance our rankings at all levels and consolidate our achievements," he said.

Bahrain was 42nd globally and eighth in Asia in 2008.

"These spectacular improvements place on us a higher level of responsibilities and duties as we will face the greater challenge of consolidating our progress and improving our ranks according to global indicators," Shaikh Ahmad said.

According to the latest study released by the United Nations, Arab countries have had mixed fortunes since 2008.

The UAE fell 17 notches, slipping from 32nd to 49th while Qatar fell by nine ranks, moving from 53rd to 62nd. Lebanon had a spectacular fall by 19 ranks, slipping to 93rd globally, while Syria went down from 119 to 133. Somalia remained at the end of the 184-nation survey.

But it was not all gloom for the Arab world.

Tunisia made the greatest leap globally, moving up by 58 ranks, from 124th to 66th. Morocco went up by 14 notches to reach 126 and Iraq by 15 ranks to the 136th spot.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states fared well, ranking among the top eight countries in the Arab world, with only Jordan and Tunisia taking up a niche among them.

Globally, Korea was top of the class, up from 6th, two years ago. The US came second, two ranks better than in 2008, Canada was third after it gained four ranks and the UK was fourth thanks to a six-notch advance. Sweden, top of the world in 2008, slipped to 12th, just one rank ahead of Bahrain. The 2010 UN Global E-Government Readiness Survey assesses UN member states on their application of information and communication technologies to serve and interact with citizens. Its composite index includes a web measure index, a telecommunication infrastructure index and a human capital index.


Arab countries e-readiness ranking

1. Bahrain (13 globally � 42 in 2008)
2. UAE (49 - 32)
3. Kuwait (50 - 57)
4. Jordan (51 - 50)
5. Saudi Arabia (58 - 70)
6. Qatar (62 - 53)
7. Tunisia (66 - 124)
8. Oman (82 - 84)
9. Egypt (86 - 79)
10. Lebanon (93 - 74)
11. Libya (114 - 120)
12. Morocco (126- 140)
13. Algeria (131 - 121)
14. Syria (133 - 119)
15. Iraq (136 - 151)
16. Sudan (154 - 161)
17. Mauritania (157 - 168)
18. Yemen (164 - 164)
19. Somalia (184 - 183)

[Arabian Hawk]

Yes I think most of us agree that Bahrain is very business friendly....especially the Business ladies in Manama... but I think Oman is still the friendliest country in the world!

[doner]

How many Omani girls have you been out with and how many Omani men are your friends?

[With Malice Toward None]

[doner]

so

[With Malice Toward None]

South Omani. Ahem. The Jabalis and immigrant Yemenis are fine but they keep to themselves, so no dating/socializing. Camels, on the other hand can get very friendly and cuddle upto you but I heard they have halitosis, invariably, everyone of them.

[johnslat]

Dear WMTN,

I expect you'll hear from desultude very soon. And she bites.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=147


Regards,
John

[With Malice Toward None]

Dear JS,

Cool Camel.

The most decorated one I have ever seen. To some, may seem a bit garish, but see, the wardrobe is specie-specific. Would be quite unnecessary on a secretary bird.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Secretary_Bird_with_open_beak.jpg

or, a lion-tailed macaque.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Lion-tailed_Macaque_in_Bristol_Zoo.jpg

JS, I am now entitled to put my avatar(talk about semantic change :evil:AVATAR!! )
and I would like to have one here before Dave kicks me out. The one in the second url above would have been fine but he is too dignified and handsome.
If you find something nice and fitting with the scrreen size, do send.

Meanwhile, desultude, I am sitting down to write a Petrarchan sonnet on the most beautiful camel in the world. I chose the Petrarchan rhyme scheme in order to synchronize with the mastication:
abba abba, then, cd cd cd OR cde cde. Now, isn't THAT poetic justice?
Regards,
WMTN .

[veiledsentiments]

[barbiebedia]

I think the most friendly country is Italy!

we spend a week there every year, I simply love their cuisine, culture and style as they speakin'
loudly but lovely, and they are very friendly and polite!