The Need for Remote Work Ranking
There may have been lockdowns and travel restrictions but the last two years have changed the landscape of how we work. Many of us jumped on the opportunity to leave the office behind. With more countries and companies shutting down offices, it was possible to work from anywhere as long as there is a way to connect and stay plugged in. And as we have discussed before, younger people are making different choices today because they can.
At the same time, there were many countries highly dependent on tourism trying to find ways to drive their economies. Some of the digital nomad visas started before the lockdowns to invite remote workers to be able to stay longer than regular visas. And some were launched to attract nomadic workers to support local economies.
A digital nomad is a person who lives a nomadic lifestyle and uses technology to work remotely from outside their home country. Digital nomad visas allow them to legally live and work in another country. Many countries allow individuals to apply for themselves as well as for dependents.
Italy, Latvia, South Africa and Spain are the latest in beginning to offer digital nomad visas. And here is a list of countries that already have them in place. Costa Rica invites workers to do their jobs remotely with a 12-month digital nomad visa.
What is the Remote Work Rankings?
The Remote Work Rankings looks at the best countries for remote workers; with Portugal taking the top spot in 2022. The survey was created to help remote workers decide where to live, and is based on 22 factors, which include:
🛂 Travel (accessibility; hotel, car and fuel prices)
💰 Local Costs (apartment rental prices per month and per day; transport, food and restaurant prices)
🚑 Health & Safety (political stability; air pollution; LGBT equality; road safety)
🌐 Remote Work (remote work visas; co-working spaces; internet speeds)
👭 Social Life (English proficiency; culture; bars and clubs per capita)
☀️ Weather (precipitation, temperature)
Based on these criteria, the five top countries for remote workers are:
- Portugal is one of the first countries to launch the world’s first digital nomad village. Digital Nomads Madeira, which aims at attracting digital nomads around the world to make use of free co-working spaces and subsidized accommodation. The weather, safety and high English proficiency are advantageous. The survey shares that Portugal is “also fairly politically stable with an absence of violence and it has great weather with minimal air pollution. Work From Portugal to enjoy incredible seafood, meat and wine while overlooking the scenic Atlantic coast.”
- Spain has high-speed internet, a variety of co-working spaces, and is fairly safe It also offers diverse art, food and history.
- Romania offers competitive prices with reasonable car rentals and hotel prices, plus affordable long-term apartment stays. It also has high-speed internet and many locals who speak English.
- Mauritius attracts remote workers by establishing the renewable premium travel visa, which allows eligible non-citizens to stay for a maximum period of a year.
- Japan ranks high on social life, culture, health and safety, co-working spaces, high-speed Internet and travel.
There is a whole world opening up—beyond working from home—that requires greater self-leadership and fantastic communication skills. At the heart of it is flexibility and trust. While this is music to employees of all ages, many organizations are not ready for these new horizons of possibility. I will be sharing more on co-living as I begin to experiment with it myself over the next twelve months.