London remains top city in the world to work, according to Global Talent Survey of over 208,000 workers

What is the Global Talent Survey?

The Global Talent Survey (GTS) is a piece of research usually undertaken every four years by Totaljobs and their partners in The Network, a global alliance of more than 50 leading recruitment websites, alongside Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading management consultancies. The last GTS was published in 2018, but with 2020 bringing a swathe of changes to the way we live and work, we once again gathered global insights to understand more about mobility preferences in the wake of Covid-19.

With 208,807 responses from 190 countries, the GTS is established as the world’s most comprehensive study into global mobility and jobseeker preferences.

Key findings from the Global Talent Survey 2021

Covid-19 impacts willingness to work abroad

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the desire to live and work abroad has been dropping in recent years. Back in 2014, 64% of workers were willing to work abroad; in 2018 this fell to 57%. Now, only 50% of people worldwide are willing to move abroad for work.

In the UK, 48% of people are willing to work abroad, a sharp fall from 62% in 2018. This figure was 44% in 2014.

The rise in 2018 could be attributed to the Brexit referendum result from 2016, which saw some ‘Remainers’ consider leaving the UK altogether. In 2020, it’s clear the ramifications of Covid-19 have impacted Brits desires to emigrate.

Generally, younger workers are more open to working abroad, at 64%. This is similar for people who are highly educated, at 63% (having completed a degree or higher).

Looking through an industry-specific lens, it’s people in the legal (73%), tech (67%) and science (60%) sectors who are the most willing to work abroad.

London remains number one in the list of top cities to work in

Back in 2018, London took to the top spot as being the most desirable city in the world to work, while the UK as a whole sat lower down in the country rankings. In 2021, the UK capital remains at number one, cementing itself as a global “brand” in its own right, separately to how the UK is perceived overall.

In particular, highly educated workers, people specialising in digital or other professional or “white collar” industries, as well as residents from North America, Sub-Saharan and South Africa favour London over other cities. For European workers, Berlin takes the top spot over London, which could be a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU impacting perceptions of its capital. Alongside this, for manual or “blue collar” workers, London is even less appealing – with this demographic placing the city in 6^th place worldwide.

In comparison, the iconic business district of New York dropped by six places, while Abu Dhabi and Singapore entered the top ten for the first time.

The top 10 cities for work in 2021

The UK remains fifth on the list of top countries to work in

In 2018, the USA was the most desirable country to work in according to workers worldwide. In 2021, the USA has fallen to second place, while Canada takes the top spot after sitting In third place in 2018.

Despite a high number of Covid-19 cases in the UK, overall global workers continue to see the country as one of fair, sustainable, and equitable employment opportunities. The UK remains at fifth place in the rankings, unchanged since 2018 after an initial fall from second place in 2014. It is currently the most popular destination for workers currently based in the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Poland, Nigeria and Denmark. The UK is also particularly popular for residents of India and South Africa, where the UK is the second most popular destination, as well as in China, Germany and the US, where the UK ranked as the third most desirable country.

Both Italy and Spain have fallen out of the top ten, while Singapore and New Zealand are new entrants. Japan sees the biggest jump within the top ten, climbing from tenth place in 2018 to sixth place this year. These Asian and Australasian countries in have responded to Covid-19 in a way that has generally been well received by people, governments and health experts worldwide, which may well have influenced their appeal in the context of employment.

The top 10 countries for work in 2021

Desire for remote international working is on the rise

While only half of workers worldwide would be willing to live and work abroad, 57% would be open to working remotely for an employer based in a different country. The same percentage of UK residents would be open to this.

The list of countries people would be keen to work remotely for is different to where they would ideally live and work. The USA becomes the most popular for remote employment, highlighting that the reputation of American businesses is still very appealing, but less so for relocation. Interestingly, the UK sits at fifth place for remote employment, meaning for global workers it’s just as desirable to move to the UK as it is to work for a British employer.

The rise and normalisation of remote working since Covid-19 will have a huge impact on global recruitment. Employers have the opportunity to tap into the emerging virtual global talent pool, while on a national level, virtual mobility could help reverse the brain drain, and motivate people to move from large cities to more rural areas, potentially even changing the way our city centres look and operate.

There are practical considerations to take into account for those businesses who are looking to hire remote workers based overseas. It may be establishing a specialised HR or legal function that focuses on payroll, salary benchmarking that takes into account location and differing tax systems, along with the other regulations that come with employment remote staff based abroad.

The top 10 countries for remote employment in 2021

Read more of the global findings by downloading the Decoding Global Talent: Onsite and Virtual report

Delve into the findings in more detail by downloading the Decoding Global Talent: Onsite and Virtual report, the first in our 2021 Global Talent series.

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