The UK is now the most highly ranked European nation for global talent and London has once again affirmed its status as the world’s premier destination for employment.
The latest findings are from an independent survey conducted by Boston Consulting Group, The Network, and The Stepstone Group encompassing insights from over 150,000 professionals across 188 countries.
Since the inception of the “Decoding Global Talent” survey ten years ago, London has maintained its dominance, bolstering its reputation as a leading global financial centre.
The survey attributes London’s global appeal to five key features:
- English as the primary language
- An exceptional global network, reflecting the fact that much of the talent already working in London comes from other countries, forming a strong diaspora from throughout the world and leveraging connections within the Commonwealth
- Plentiful economic and financial opportunities
- A welcoming, multicultural brand
- Access to both Europe and the US
London’s appeal makes sense to R&D engineer Hideo Daikoku:
“London seems very young. There’s always stuff happening in London. Another big factor, I would say, is the language. People would rather move to an English-speaking city because they already speak English.”
The top ten cities also include Amsterdam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New York, Berlin, Singapore, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Sydney.
Notably, several other UK cities have made significant strides, with Edinburgh ranking 53rd, Birmingham 58th, Belfast 79th, and Glasgow 83rd among the top 100.
The UK as a whole is now the most highly ranked European nation for global talent. Globally, Australia leads the pack, followed closely by the US, Canada, the UK and then Germany, Japan and Switzerland.
The study reveals that 1 in 6 global professionals open to relocation, views the UK as one of their top three choices. Sectors such as science, finance, media, and legal particularly favour Britain.
Factors driving relocation decisions include job quality (71%), quality of life (58%), and safety and security (44%).
Stepstone Chief Executive Sebastian Dettmers said:
“It’s encouraging to see that British employers can continue to attract the best talent from the global workforce, in part due to London’s long-standing reputation as a multi-cultural hub for international trade and its strong employment offering.”
See the full report here.
