Talent Mobility – Up to 800 million professionals around the world who may actively looking for job abroad

Michel Cournoyer

May 2

What a study of 150,000 people in 188 countries tells us about where people will move for work—and why.

Where Do People Want to Go?

In 2023, Australia, which has been steadily rising through the ranks since we initiated this series, finally topped the list of desirable country destinations.

Why Do People Choose a Specific Country?

We dug deeper to find out how people who are willing to move for work choose a destination, leaning on definitions and rankings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in its 2023 Indicators of Talent Attractiveness report.

We looked at extrinsic factors—characteristics of countries. We found that one consistent, primary consideration supersedes individual country brands: the quality of job opportunities. Nevertheless, a few countries benefited from another prominent consideration: quality of life.

And we looked at intrinsic factors—practical considerations related to the individuals themselves. Overall, speaking the primary language or languages of the destination country matters a lot, especially among respondents who favor English-speaking countries. Personal recommendations from acquaintances who have experience with the destination country make a difference, too, as does having a diaspora of the same nationality in the target destination.