London remains the most popular destination city for jobseekers worldwide according to research commissioned by leading recruitment website, totaljobs.com. The research, which questioned over 66,000 employees from 40 countries, revealed that the UK remains an attractive prospect for highly educated job seekers with key hubs such as London, Manchester and Bristol attracting those with qualifications in management, finance and engineering.
The research reveals that despite the economic slowdown, Britain remains a powerful draw for job seekers. Of all respondents willing to work abroad, 22 percent opted for London, followed by New York and Sydney with respectively 16 and 12 percent. The research revealed that despite the attraction of key metropolitan hubs, it was actually country and not city that was of greater importance to two thirds (66%) of job seekers. The most popular country in the world was the USA (52%) followed closely by the United Kingdom (47%) and Canada (43%).
Almost half (46%) of the 2,600 UK employees quizzed in the research were willing to seek employment abroad. UK jobseekers are overwhelmingly drawn to Anglophone countries, with the USA (62%), Australia (51%) and Canada (49%) the three most popularly cited countries they would want to work in. The key reasons for emigrating were the opportunity for new experiences, better career opportunities and a better standard of living. Almost a quarter (23%) of UK job seekers cited the poor economic situation in their home country as a reason to leave. In contrast less than one fifth (18%) of those entering the UK cited this as a reason. Equally only one sixth (15%) of UK job seekers were keen to learn a new language compared to a fifth (20%) of those entering the UK.
John Salt, Website Director at totaljobs.com comments: “Contrary to popular belief, those coming to the UK for jobs are well educated and ambitious, often providing much needed skills in the UK economy. They are the result of a job market that has been globalised and with the rapid growth of the internet over the last five years it has made searching for jobs abroad easier. Whilst the UK is popular with jobseekers today, we predict an increase in competition for talent as the recession and exchange rates start to hit pay packets”.
“For UK workers seeking brighter skies and better opportunities overseas, it is important they remember how competitive the market is and to ensure they consider the motivations of those they will be competing with for jobs. For those staying closer to home, the research should be a welcome reminder that for those with drive and ambition the UK jobs market continues to hold great opportunities that are internationally appealing.”
The research goes on to reveal that more than half (53%) of those considering moving to the UK are educated to degree standard in comparison to 30% of British jobseekers overall. The top factors in attracting job candidates to the UK are higher salaries, improved career opportunities and employee benefits. However, the UK’s top three placing is by no means guaranteed in 2010 with migrants to the UK thinking internationally; nearly a third of those surveyed say they would be willing to work in over 10 countries. With 68% of those surveyed citing good salary as the number one reason for choosing a job abroad, the UK faces a big challenge in the near future in the global fight to acquire and retain talent.
Regional and sector breakdown
Aside from London, the UK’s most popular city with international job seekers was Manchester, with Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford and Liverpool also mentioned. This places the UK in a select group of only four countries in the world to have nine or more cities mentioned by international job seekers. These were the USA with 16 and Canada, Germany and the UK each with nine.
Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: Despite the fact that the UK faces a long road toward recovery, this survey shows that Britain remains a popular destination for global job-seekers - and that we can still attract key talent from overseas. Our cities, and especially London, are seen as good places to live and work, which could help promote economic growth and vitality in the medium-term.”
However, Chambers of Commerce and member businesses are clear that the UK will only remain attractive so long as we deliver a fair tax environment, suitable infrastructure, and good quality of life. In the coming years, it is imperative that we protect investment in vital transport networks, avoid taxes that punish enterprise and entrepreneurship, and ensure that our immigration system remains flexible enough to allow businesses to source the skills they require.
The Global Talent Mobility Research survey questioned 66,000 jobseekers in 40 countries about their geographical flexibility. The outcome demonstrates the degree to which the labour market has become globalised. Internationally, flexibility has risen with 64% of 2009 respondents willing to consider working abroad compared to 61% in 2006. Unsurprisingly it is those in the emerging economies that show the greatest willingness to move for work: some 77% of those surveyed in the BRIC countries said they would go to other countries for a job.
Part of the reason that the jobs’ market has become so international is the growth of the Internet, which has made it as easy to apply for a job on the other side of the world as one in your hometown. For example, there has been a 69% increase in usage of totaljobs.com between 2007 and 2009.
