When it comes to countries in which foreign employees want to work, the U.S. has slipped behind Canada as the most desired destination, according to a new wide-ranging survey by the Boston Consulting Group and recruitment services provider The Network.
The study, Decoding Global Talent, Onsite and Virtual, which surveyed 209,000 people in 190 countries, found that how well countries have managed to contain the coronavirus is having a pronounced impact on workers' attitudes towards working abroad. Despite representing less than 5 percent of the global population, the U.S. accounts for approximately 20 percent of the world's deaths from the virus.
The study revealed only approximately 50 percent of workers would consider moving to another country to ply their trade, down from 64 percent willing in 2014 and 57 percent in 2018. This downward trend line was prevalent in nearly every country in the world, according to BCG.
"Restrictive immigration policies have already weakened the mobility trend," says Rainer Strack, one of the authors of the study and a senior partner at BCG. "COVID is a new variable that is making people cautious about considering international relocation. And with the rise of remote working, many may feel that they can further their careers virtually, without needing to move at all."
The countries that have seen their rankings surge have been the ones who have done the best job mitigating the impact of the virus, and which have seen a relatively low death rate compared to their populations, including Canada, Australia, and Japan. European countries like Germany and France, both of which have struggled to contain coronavirus cases, both slipped two rankings in this year's survey. Italy and Spain, which faced even greater difficulty, dropped off the top 10 ranking altogether.
The survey also highlighted a high level of desire to remain in one's own country while working for a foreign country, which 57 percent of respondents said they were willing to do. The U.S. regained its number one ranking when it comes to most desired foreign country to work for while remaining at home, according to the study.
"Hiring people from other countries is not a new practice for employers," says Pierre Antebi, a co–managing director of The Network and one of the report's authors. "But the trend of remote working makes it possible to do it on a broader scale and expand the available talent pool. There's also an upside for workers, who can advance their careers without uprooting their lives."
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