今年2月到4月间进行的“2009年外籍员工调查”结果显示，在亚洲和中东地区工作的外籍员工收入最高。其中享受高薪待遇的外籍员工比例最高的国家是俄罗斯，有三分之一外籍员工年薪都在25万美元以上，紧随其后的是日本和卡塔尔。在香港、阿联酋、泰国和印度，有三分之一到四分之一的外籍员工年薪在20万美元以上；而马来西亚、中国大陆和印度则被评为食宿最便宜的国家。

Some of the world's highest-paid expatriates live in Asia and the Middle East.

Want the good life despite the dire¹ economy? Head east, according to a survey showing some of the world's highest-paid expatriates live in Asia and the Middle East.

A third of all expats in Russia - the highest proportion in the world - earn more than $250,000 a year, followed closely by expats in Japan and Qatar, according to the 2009 Expat Explorer survey, commissioned by HSBC Bank International, the offshore² financial services arm of HSBC Holdings.

Between a third and a quarter of foreigners working in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and India earned annual wages of more than $200,000, while countries such as Malaysia, Chinese mainland and India, were ranked among the cheapest for accommodation.

"Asia is home to the highest paid expats in the world, with one in four expats earning more than $200,000 per year," said the survey.

Russia was ranked the number one country overall for expats in terms of wealth. The rest of the top nine were all in Asia and the Middle East.

But the global economic crisis has taken a heavy toll³ on expats in Britain and the United States, where close to a quarter are considering returning home, compared to just 15 percent overall, due to the high cost of living, lack of savings⁴ and lower wages.

Hit by crisis

"We have seen some interesting trends in terms of how expats are reacting to the credit crunch⁵, but what is also interesting to see is that they remain a wealthy group of individuals," Paul Say, head of marketing⁶ and communications for HSBC Bank International, said in a statement.

Expat Explorer, now in its second year, surveyed more than 3,100 expats from various nationalities living in 26 countries. HSBC said it was the largest survey of its kind.

More than two-thirds of expatriates worldwide said the credit crisis had changed the way they spend their money, with luxuries and day-to-day spending the most affected⁷. Nearly 40 percent said they were saving more for a rainy day.

Over half of the expats in Japan - the highest globally at 53 percent - said they were cutting back on holidays and other perks⁸, while almost one in two expats in Thailand and Hong Kong SAR - the second and third globally, were also scaling back.

In contrast, two-thirds of expats living in Qatar said the global financial crisis would not change their spending attitudes at all, followed by more than half of those living in Bahrain, which HSBC said indicated that some oil-rich Gulf⁹ Arab states have not been hit as hard by the downturn

Expats in Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Russia were also the least likely to cut back on luxuries, the survey showed.

Those polled in the survey were chosen by four main criteria¹⁰: annual income in excess of $200,000; a monthly disposable income in excess of $3,000; an increase in saving while working abroad and having at least two luxury items in the country they live in.

The survey was conducted between February and April 2009.