Notwithstanding socio-political hot-button issues, the traditional reasons for seeking greener pastures abroad have been evolving after the COVID-19 pandemic

In an anonymized online survey from October through December 2023 involving 150,735 workers in 188 countries^ on their career and mobility sentiments* some key trends were reported.

First, major English-speaking economies were prioritized by respondents as the most desirable destinations to work in. For this survey in late 2023, Australia was favored by the most respondents, followed by the US, Canada and the UK. The top 10 list also includes Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and two Asian countries, Singapore and Japan.

Second, 63% of respondents were willing to relocate for work, compared to 71% in similar surveys before the COVID-19 pandemic. Among all respondents, 25% indicated they were actively searching for jobs abroad, and 66% were interested to work remotely without relocating.

Third, at the city level, London topped the list (9%), followed by Amsterdam (8%), Dubai (7%), Abu Dhabi (7%), New York (6%), Singapore (5%), Barcelona (5%), Tokyo (5%) and Sydney (4%).

Other findings

Fourth, 64% of respondents cited professional advancement, financial and economic reasons, and career considerations such as work experience (56%) as their top motivators.

Fifth, respondents who had moved abroad indicated they expected employers to take the lead in supporting their relocation and onboarding to cultivate an international, inclusive culture. Nearly eight out of 10 respondents expected to receive help with housing (79%) as well as visa and work permit assistance (78%), and more than half counted on relocation support (69%) and language support and training (54%).

Sixth, among Singapore respondents, those eager to work abroad indicated the need for considerable support from their future employers in the areas of housing assistance (84%), relocation (81%) and visa and work permit assistance (77%) to ease the challenge of adapting to a new culture overseas.

The survey was commissioned by The Network, a global alliance of more than 70 recruitment websites committed to sourcing and helping talent in over 150 countries, and comprising Jobstreet, whose managing director for Singapore, Chew Siew Mee, said: “Employers in Singapore must strive to attract and retain both local and foreign talent, as we could expect talent shortages in the future with the country’s small and ageing population.”

^5% were from the US & Canada regions, 9% from Latin America and the Caribbean region, 11% from Sub-Saharan Africa, 4% from the Middle East and North Africa regions, 38% from Europe and Central Asia, 2% from South Asia, and 31% were from East Asia and the Pacific region

*including their willingness to move abroad for work; the countries they would most like to work in; their reasons for choosing those countries; and their expectations of their future employers in a new country