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Canada has topped the U.S. as the most attractive destination for foreign workers, according to a report on global talent.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network a total of 209,000 people in 190 countries.

Their report suggests the COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in affecting where foreign workers prefer to work. In general, less people are interested in working abroad due to the pandemic. Only 50 per cent of people showed interest in working abroad between October and December 2020. In 2018, it was 57 per cent, and in 2014 it was 64 per cent.

Another factor that affected work destination rankings is how the country responded to the pandemic. For example, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand have relatively low case numbers and were all in the top ten. In addition, popular destinations such as Germany and France fell two spots in the rankings, whereas Italy and Spain were not in the top ten list at all.

As such, many famous cities such as New York, Barcelona and Rome are now less attractive destinations among foreign workers. Other cities that were hit less by COVID-19 are becoming even more popular, including Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Canada topped the chart overall. It was highly ranked among respondents with master’s degrees and doctorates, workers with digital experience as well as those under 30.

In addition, tightened immigration measures in the U.S., particularly under the Trump administration, has also decreased interest in working abroad.

Another factor that may have had a role to play in the drop in interest in the U.S. is the social unrest of late related to long-standing racial injustice and police brutality issues. An example of this is the Black Lives Matter protests that were sparked after George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a police officer last year.

If you remove concerns about political, social and health issues by considering remote workers, the U.S. would rank number one, the survey suggested. About 57 per cent of workers are willing to work remotely. These workers are still keen on working remotely for companies in the U.S. and Canada, but are generally more reserved when it comes to relocation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tech and digital workers appear to be keen on working remotely. About 71 per cent of tech workers said that they would be willing to work for a company without being physically present in the country. Canadian companies may be able to take advantage of this.

Why work in Canada?

Working in Canada comes with many benefits, including a high quality education for your children, taking advantage of Canada’s universal health care system and enjoying Canada’s beautiful scenery.

Gaining valuable Canadian work experience will also help you become eligible for Canadian permanent residence. For example, you may be able to gain more points through the Federal Skilled Worker Program under Canada’s Express Entry system. You may also be eligible under one of Canada’s (PNPs).

If you have one or more years of work experience in Canada, the (CEC) may be an option for you, provided you meet the program’s minimum language requirement.

Working in Canada will not only fulfill the work experience requirement for the CEC, but will also help immerse you in your target language whether that is English or French. Through this immersion, you may be able to improve your language skills and meet the program’s minimum requirement.

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