Not all workers are satisfied with working from home, with a growing number of Aussies planning to take advantage of flexible work arrangements by working overseas.
Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker (CST), a monthly survey of around 1,000 adults, reveals 14% of Australians plan to work remotely overseas this year, up from 7% last year. That's the equivalent of 2.9 million people.
This means a large number of Aussies will be utilising travel money cards or money transfer services to pay for living expenses.
Quick summary
- 29% of Australian adults worked remotely in 2022.
- Over a quarter (26%) worked remotely domestically.
- 7% worked overseas in 2022 and 14% plan to work overseas in 2023.
- Gen Y is driving the remote working trend with 44% saying they worked remotely in 2022 either domestically or overseas.
- However, gen Z is most likely to work remotely overseas (13%), followed by gen Y (10%).
- The most popular countries for Aussie remote workers are New Zealand (19%), Thailand (16%), Indonesia (13%), the Philippines (10%) and the UK (9%).
How many Aussie adults worked remotely in 2022?
- 29% of Australian adults worked remotely in 2022.
- Over a quarter (26%) worked remotely domestically while 7% worked overseas.
- In 2022, Aussies who worked remotely from another country did so for an average of 6.5 weeks.
- Men were slightly more likely than women to work remotely (31% vs 28%) and were also more likely to work overseas (8% vs 5%).
- Gen Y is driving the remote working trend with 44% saying they worked remotely in 2022. This is followed by over a third of gen Z (36%), over a quarter of gen X (27%) and just 7% of baby boomers.
- However, gen Z is most likely to work remotely overseas (13%), followed by gen Y (10%) and just 3% of gen X and 1% of baby boomers.
- The most popular countries for Aussie remote workers are New Zealand (19%), Thailand (16%), Indonesia (13%), the Philippines (10%), the UK (9%), Japan (7%), the US (7%), Canada (7%) and Germany (6%).
Remote working abroad to jump in 2023
- 14% of Australians, the equivalent of 2.9 million people, plan to work remotely overseas this year, up from 7% last year.
- On average, they also plan to work overseas for longer – just over 7 weeks, up from 6.5 in 2022.
- 16% of men plan to work abroad this year compared to 13% of women.
- Over a fifth of gen Z (22%) and gen Y (21%) plan to work remotely overseas compared to 10% of gen X and just 3% of baby boomers.
- New Zealand is the top destination for overseas workers in 2023 (20%), followed by the US (14%), Thailand (10%), Japan (9%), the UK (8%), the Philippines (7%), Italy, Indonesia and Canada (5% each).
Remote working policies
- Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) said their place of employment allows them to work remotely but only within Australia. Nearly 1 in 10 (9%) said they can work remotely domestically or overseas.
- On average, employees who are aware of their company's policy said they are able to work remotely for up to 8 weeks a year.
- However, over a third of respondents (35%) said their workplace does not have a remote working policy.
What to consider when planning to work abroad
- Review your employer's remote working policy to make sure you can work overseas before you make non-refundable purchases.
- Compare travel card options to international money transfer providers so you don't pay unnecessary fees and exchange mark-ups.
- Understand any visa requirements for working in another country.
- Consider purchasing travel insurance to give you peace of mind in case something goes wrong.
- Book your flight, train or bus early to help you secure a cheaper rate, especially if you plan with enough time to take advantage of sales events.
