Probably a better measure of an aspirational destination than are the regular surveys of “Where-I-would-like-to-visit-next,” the latest report from the global business consultant and accounting firm DBO tells us that the United States remains the most desired work destination for global employees. The just-released DBO report, which surveyed more than 10,000 people across 20 countries—in which respondents were asked to pick their three top destinations to work—indicates that the United States still holds the top spot as the most desired country to relocate to, although its ranking as dropped 4 percent in the last five years.
Most interesting, according to the news accounts that paid attention to the BDO report, was the position of the UK. It dropped to Number 3, as Canada leap-frogged into the Number 2 ranking. The consensus seems to be that the UK has suffered from widespread uncertainty over the impact of the Brexit vote. That referendum took place June 23, 2016 when Britons voted by a narrow margin to withdraw from the European Union; the withdrawal becomes effective in late March 2019– Other findings from the BDO report include the following:
- The UK is still third most attractive destination despite EU referendum result.
- Europeans most prefer the United States as a work destination despite a drop of 5 percent in the last five years to 24 percent.
- Canada was up 2 percent to 22 percent compared to the UK which has fallen by 3 percent to 19 percent (now level pegging with Australia)
- 18 percent of employees said they’d be very likely to relocate for up to two years and take a full time job in another country without any incentives beyond an increase in pay. This group – the ‘eager minority’ has shrunk considerably over the past five years (25 percent in 2012).
- Geography, common language, culture and business practices often exert a significant influence on where employees are most likely to relocate to.
Note: The research was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Canadian Employment Relocation Council (CERC) and BDO. The poll ran in 20 countries via the Ipsos Online Panel system. It fielded between February 2017 and March 2017. Approximately 300-500 individuals participated on a country by country basis with the exception of Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US which each have a sample of 500+.
