Canada: A preferred destination for global talents

According to a new study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, Canada is now the top destination of choice for foreign workers looking to immigrate.

Long trailing behind the United States, this year, and despite the pandemic, Canada has, for the first time, taken the lead in this ranking.

You can view the full study here.

Canada: The favorite country for foreign workers

According to this study, which surveyed 209,000 people across 190 countries, Canada is now the number one preferred destination for foreign workers.

Long behind the United States, the maple leaf country has climbed the rankings due to the pandemic. It appears that foreign workers now favor countries that demonstrated better management of the pandemic.

The study shows that most countries that rose in the rankings had relatively low COVID-19 case rates.

This includes Canada, Australia (now ranked third), and Japan (now in sixth place). Two Asia-Pacific countries, Singapore and New Zealand, also made the ranking for the first time.

What about the rest of the world ?

Many popular European countries dropped in the rankings. For example, Germany and France each fell two places. Italy and Spain are no longer in the top 10.

Likewise, major cities like New York, Barcelona, Rome, and Madrid are now seen as far less attractive professionally, largely due to their handling of the health crisis.

Remote work

The study also found that about 50% of respondents are willing to move to another country for work—a decrease from previous years. For comparison, this figure was 64% in 2014 and 57% in 2018.

While global workers are now less inclined to relocate abroad, 57% say they are willing to work for a foreign employer while staying in their home country. This shift is likely due to the widespread adoption of remote work since the start of the pandemic.

Moreover, although restrictive immigration policies in many countries have weakened mobility trends, they have not diminished the desire of global talent to explore opportunities abroad.

In Canada, while border closures slowed immigration, they did not bring it to a halt! Many foreign workers with job offers still immigrated to Canada in 2020. As immigration lawyer, Natacha Mignon recently pointed out : “[…] just because the borders were closed doesn’t mean it was impossible to obtain a work permit.” Nevertheless, she predicts that once the borders reopen, there will be a significant surge in applications as a consequence of the closure.

This article was updated on March 25, 2020.