Employer Views On Migration Of Talent

Manpower Research Reveals only 12 Percent of Employers Think Governments and Businesses Are Doing Enough to Slow the Outward Migration of Talent

SYDNEY, June 24/Medianet International-AsiaNet/ --

Manpower Australia & New Zealand released today the results of its Borderless Workforce survey to determine employer views about the outward migration of talent. The findings reveal that only 12 percent of employers in New Zealand think government and businesses are doing enough to slow the outward migration of talent and attract these people back to New Zealand. There were 28,000 people surveyed globally in 27 individual countries and territories including New Zealand.

52 percent of employers in New Zealand expressed concerns about the potential negative impact on the labour market from talent leaving the country to work abroad. Employers in the Services and Manufacturing sectors are most concerned, while similar levels of concern are expressed across all other sectors. The survey also indicated that employers in New Zealand consider Australia, China and the United Kingdom as the biggest competitive threats to their ability to compete economically.

The survey shows that today’s workforce is on the move as never before. But most employers and governments are a long way from fully understanding the complex issue of talent mobility and its growing role in the talent shortages that are affecting today’s global labour markets.

“In New Zealand, as in most other countries, the consensus is that businesses and governments are neither doing enough to slow outward migration, nor to attract these people back to their home countries after they have left for jobs or universities abroad. While it’s true that we need to do more to keep our most talented workers, we must also consider how we can strengthen our collective employer ‘brand New Zealand’ to attract more talented workers from overseas to fill our current and future talent shortages,” said Catherine Lo Giacco General Manager, Manpower New Zealand.

Within the Asia Pacific region, employers in Taiwan (64 percent) have the greatest concerns about the impact on the labor market from talent leaving their country to work abroad, followed by India (57 percent) and New Zealand (52 percent) and the least concerned are employers in China. Whilst concerns that governments and businesses are not doing enough to slow the outward migration of talent and attract these people back to their home country is most prevalent amongst employers in New Zealand (79 percent), closely followed by Japan (70 percent) and the least concerned are employers in China.

A parallel ‘Relocating for Work Survey’ by Manpower Inc. found that 78% of individuals would be willing to relocate for work in the future and 41% of those would be willing to relocate permanently. Respondents from the Philippines (96%), Ireland (93%), Brazil (93%), Portugal (92%), Colombia (92%), Mexico and Central America (92%) and Peru (90%) were the most likely to consider relocating for employment opportunities in the future.

Respondents under 30 years old were more receptive to moving for work. In terms of gender differences, men were more inclined to move for longer periods of time (four to six years or longer) while women preferred assignments varying from one to three years and less than six months. The majority of migrants (82%) relocate to increase their pay and 74% move for career enhancement, 47% want the opportunity to learn another language and this was the strongest reason for women (50%) to relocate for work.

“For white collar workers, there can be many other factors moving them away from home, even though income ranks the highest in this survey. Many go for the adventure, to acquire new skills or to learn a language or improve their language skills, or, if they are moving cross-border, to build valuable new cultural skills. Still others see such moves as fast paths to accelerate their careers as young professionals can often take on more responsibility and gain more experience and business skills more rapidly in a foreign country than they ever could at home,” said Lo Giacco. “Employers experiencing talent shortages in certain positions should be capitalising on workers’ willingness to move and forging stronger partnerships with regional authorities and with educational institutions in places where they identify potential talent.”

The most popular destinations that people would want to relocate for work are the U.S., U.K., and Spain. Among respondents in the Asia Pacific region, the preferred destination to relocate is China. The largest number of professionals is coming from China, the U.S., India, the U.K. and Germany.

Top 10 Preferred Destinations for Work (From Respondents in the Asia-Pacific region) 1. China 2. United States 3. Australia 4. Hong Kong 5. United Kingdom 6. Singapore 7. Taiwan 8. Japan 9. Canada 10. Malaysia

Top 10 Source Countries for Foreign Talent 1. China 2. United States 3. India 4. United Kingdom 5. Germany 6. Japan 7. Spain 8. France 9. Canada 10. Poland

The complete results of Manpower’s Borderless Workforce survey can be downloaded at www.manpower.co.nz

Today’s survey announcement coincides with the publication of a new Manpower white paper, ‘The Borderless Workforce’”. The white paper explores the complexities of today’s global workforce, how employers and governments are responding to the fluidity of talent, and the challenges and opportunities that talent mobility poses for employers and individuals.

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