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Five Top Countries to Move to For Work Reasons
Starting a new job is one of the main reasons for moving abroad – as well as exposing you to a whole new culture, it can also enhance your career and teach you new skills which will be invaluable in the fast-paced world of business.
Hamiltons Removals are experts in commercial removals to Europe and worldwide. Here we identify five countries which offer the best opportunities for starting a new career.
Switzerland
A highly skilled labour force, a large percentage of which has been drawn from the rest of Europe, means that the Swiss economy is thriving, so there are plenty of job opportunities. The country’s political structure helps as well. It is divided up into 26 separate districts or ‘cantons’, which can set their own economic policies to the benefit the local economy. Swiss workers’ salaries are very high, but you should bear in mind that the country’s cost of living is also extremely high.
Switzerland is one of the easiest places in the world to do business, according to a Global Exchange Index of countries created by Forbes Insights and OFX. As well as its world-famous financial sector, its chemical and pharmaceutical industries are also major employers.
Denmark
This is the easiest place to do business in Europe, according to a 2019 World Bank report. A strong public sector helps, as this means doing trade across borders, acquiring construction permits and signing contracts are all much simpler. Foreign investors and expats on high salaries have both been offered a lower tax rate, and the average working week is under 40 hours, well below the international average.
The country generates more than a quarter of its energy through wind power, and it is one of the world’s leading exporters of turbines. Other important sectors include the pharmaceutical industry, shipbuilding, textiles, and furniture manufacture.
Norway
Denmark’s Scandinavian neighbour Norway is also an attractive place to move to for work reasons. Although its population is only around 5.1 million, its wealth is very evenly distributed, so most people enjoy a high standard of living. Industry and research and development hubs are well integrated, and there is a highly skilled labour force, with many people fluent in English, French and German as well as Norwegian.
The country’s most important industries are gas and petroleum – Norway is the world’s 10th largest oil exporter – as well as shipping, fishing, mining and food processing.
The Netherlands
This country has a long reputation as a trading nation. It is well known for making foreigners feel welcome, and nine out of every 10 people speak English. Members of the international business community also find it is an effective ‘gateway’ to the rest of Europe.
Major employers are the metal and engineering industries, the construction sector and agroindustries – the Netherlands is the world’s leading exporter of flowers, responsible for more than 40 per cent of the market.
New Zealand
This country tops the 2019 World Bank report as the easiest place in the world to do business, thanks to a lack of bureaucracy and red tape. As in the UK, the Government is making its tax arrangements digital, simplifying the whole process, and it is also very easy to launch a new start-up here as well.
Agriculture and horticulture, forestry, mining and fishing are the country’s major industries, although the service sector also makes a vital contribution to the economy.
Commercial Removals with Hamiltons
Hamiltons can help you with domestic and commercial moves to many different destinations in Europe, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, as well as countries across the world, including Canada and New Zealand. As well as moving all your office furniture and IT equipment, we can also take care of your employees at the same time, as we can arrange house moves as part of the same package.
As an experienced removals firm based in East Anglia, we take all the stress out of the whole process. With commercial moves, we pack and unpack all your items as part of our office moving service, then reassemble it once it has reached its new destination. You will have your own liaison manager, so you have a single point of contact for the duration of the move. If you can’t decide on what items you need to take, we can store your some or all of them on either a short- or a long-term basis.
If you would like to know more about our commercial removals service, follow this link.
Why is Self Storage Booming in the UK?
Recent figures suggest that there are now as many as 1,500 self storage sites across the UK, and that they have never been more popular. It’s reported that usage is up almost 9% year on year, and more than three-quarters of the available space has been rented out.
Here we look at some of the principal reasons behind this industry boom – and how Hamiltons Removals’ Safe N Stored sites offer secure storage space in the heart of East Anglia. We are members of the Self Storage Association UK (SSAUK), underlining our commitment to high standards.
Properties Are Too Small
The average household size in the UK is 2.4 people, larger than those in Germany and France, and yet our homes are among the smallest in Europe. The result? We don’t have enough space to put all our possessions, and yet we often can’t bear to part with them.
In the UK, buying a new home or moving to a larger rental property might not be an option because of the cost. Using a local storage facility effectively gives your home an extra room, however – and the prices shouldn’t be prohibitive. Prices of our Safe N Stored storage rooms at our Harleston site start at around £65/month, while you can rent a storage container at our Aldeby for as little as £52 a month.
A Good Temporary Solution
Figures in the SSAUK’s annual report show that the industry’s facilities are well used by people undergoing major changes in their lives.
For instance, divorced or separated people are twice as likely to use self storage as other groups. Storage is also in demand from those who are moving house– almost one in four people use it as a temporary solution while they get their living accommodation sorted out. Equally, people redecorating or adjusting to life with a new baby also find the additional short-term space welcome.
Choosing storage with flexible terms means you won’t be tied down for a long period of time, so once you have found your new home, or finished painting the rooms, you can simply move all your possessions back in.
Ease of Access
As the industry is now booming, more than two-thirds of people only need to travel around 20 miles or less to reach their nearest storage unit. Our Safe N Stored sites are ideally situated for customers in Norfolk and Suffolk, including Diss, Harleston, Beccles, Bungay, Stradbroke and Dickleburgh.
Our sites also offer high levels of security, while also ensuring that customers can get to their possessions as and when they need them. For instance, at Hamiltons’ site in Aldeby, users can drive right up to the storage containers so unloading from your vehicle is much more straightforward. You also get access to your possessions seven days a week. The site is fitted with high security padlocks and is covered by security cameras.
And at our Harleston base, we have around-the-clock CCTV and a security alarm system which is linked to Norfolk Police. Access to your storage rooms is through a personal key fob, while collection and delivery services can also be arranged if needed.
A Good Reputation
You can be confident when using self storage, because the industry is well-regulated. There are strict rules in place as to the kinds of items you can and cannot store. Items such as explosives and weapons, and potentially hazardous chemicals, including gas, paint, petrol and oil are all banned. Any illegal or stolen items, plus cash and currency, are also prohibited.
This high level of regulation and commitment to high standards are reflected in the high levels of popularity self storage companies enjoy with their customers. More than 92% of users say they are satisfied with the service they receive, according to the SSAUK, while well over half (57%) say they are very satisfied.
Safe N Stored with Hamiltons Removals
If you want to rent some secure storage space and live in East Anglia, including north Suffolk and south Norfolk, then Hamiltons Removals are the experts to contact. Our storage containers at Aldeby are ideal for larger items such as mowers, caravans and boats which you might not need over the winter.
The rooms at our Harleston site range from 25sq ft to 200sq ft, so whatever you want to store, we should have the size you are looking for. We also have a shop here, selling a wide range of cartons and other packaging materials.
To find out more about Safe N Stored, follow this link or call us on 01379 855203.