Download - Global Professionals on the Move Report 2011
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Copyright 2011 Hydrogen Group plc. All rights reserved www.hydrogengroup.com
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This is thesecond annual Global Professionals on the Move Report
- commissioned by Hydrogen and conducted by a consultancy
project team from ESCP Europe. This research analyses the
experience, attitudes, motivationsand priorities of highly qualified,
high earning, professionals with regard to working abroad.
A key theme to emerge from the 2011 research is globalisation,
the world is getting smaller with advances in technology and
communication playing their part. The top professionalssurveyed
perceive and plan their careers in truly global terms, their top
reasons for relocating being an interest in new experiences, greater
earning potential and improved career opportunities. This wasa
notable change from last year, when financial motivationswere
further down the list, suggesting the economic downturn hasbeen
more influential this year. Personal incentivesaside, companies
have higher international expectations, with 63 percent of
respondentssaying international experience was important to their
company - particularly in the energy, pharmaceutical and humanresource sectors.
The 2011 Hydrogen report will doubtlessbe viewed against the
backdrop of the financial crisisand ongoing economic uncertainty
affecting all parts of the world. It is on this point that the 2011 report
is perhaps most telling, for while a lack of jobs is perceived to be the
top barrier to securing a position overseas, the reality is that
professional jobsare often readily available, with candidates more
likely to secure international roles faster than attaining similar
rolesat home.
Working overseas received a great endorsement from participants
who had already relocated, with 98 percent saying they would
recommend working abroad to othersand 76 percent of those
away for at least three yearssaying they would stay working
overseas for longer.
While family remained the top reason cited by all respondents for
not seeking a job overseas, missing friendsand family was not an
issue for those who made the move, thanks to the ease and
accessibility of the internet and social media - 71 percent of them
saying that social media helped ease homesickness.
Interestingly, the research finds that a high proportion of this
demographic (40 percent) stated home aswhere they currently are
as opposed to where they were from. Virtually all, if they had to do it
again, would choose to go abroad. Although, however settled they
may be in their life abroad, seeking permanent residency remainsa
step too far, with few respondents reporting to be keen on the idea.
Insofar as this report offers unique insights into the mindset of high
flying professionals, an analysis of this years data on gender
grounds is telling in the context of the ongoing debate surrounding
the lack of women in board level positions. That only 20 percent of
respondents were women reflects the extent to which men
outnumber women in working overseas. Moreover, the women who
were working abroad were far more likely than men to be single and
not have children. On the premise that the greater the international
experience the better, it wasalso revealing that women working
abroad tend not to go as far afield asmen - thereby potentially
limiting themselves further.
The survey was compiled from the responses of 2,637
professionals from 85 different countries with qualifications of a
bachelor degree or above. With the majority of respondents (91
percent) already working abroad or looking to do so, the survey
offers unique insights into the mindset of career driven
professionalsand the importance of international experience within
their overall skill set.
This research confirms working overseas to be an extremely
positive experience, with the vast majority of respondents reporting
that it improved their career prospects, salaries, living conditions
and personal development. Hydrogen Groups own employees
have experienced these benefits, asHydrogen not only focuses on
sourcing specialist international roles for candidates, but also
practice it internally, moving 40 of their own people around their
globa
l offices
in the las
t 18 months.
Hydrogen Group
March 2011
Executive summary
Questions asked...
Would you consider relocating abroad?
Is international experience important in your company?
How important is international experience to your career growth?
Where would you most like to relocate to?
What are your reasons for relocating?
Has the economic climate influenced your decision to work abroad?
What are the key barriers to finding a job?
How long did it take to find a job overseas?
How did you find your current job?
Has relocating been a positive experience?
What do you miss?
Has the use of social media helped ease homesickness whilst overseas?
The gender divide
Appendix
Contents
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As in last years research, professionalsare highly motivated to
work abroad. The overwhelming majority (91 percent) of our
surveys respondentssaid they were already developing their
career internationally or were willing to do so in the future.
Would you consider relocating abroad? Is international experience important in your company?
A key finding of this research was the extent to which international
experience is important not just to individuals, but to companiesas
well, in terms of the overall skill sets they are seeking in their mid-
and senior-level leaders. 63 percent of respondentssaidinternational experience was important or very important to
their company.
Tim Smeaton, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrogen Group, says
every business has the potential to operate on a global scale and
needsappropriately experienced people to deliver against the
ambitions of their organisations: The world has changed and
corporate growth is predominantly driven by emerging economies.
The need for businesses to take advantage of these opportunities
demands they operate globally far more than ever before.
One of the key challenges they now face is hiring the right people to
make international working succeed. It stands to reason that those
with overseas experience in more senior rolesare looked on more
favourably and can command higher salaries than those without. In
many locations theavailable talent pool does not include the skill
sets
currently demanded.
Opportunities internationally are
becoming increasingly desirable
as a result of a shift in focus from
West to East and the career
advancement that can be offered.
A number of companies now
consider international tenure to be
a prerequisite for Director level
roles and above.
As a result, there is more
competition for senior
international posts and the
selection criteria is becoming
more stringent.
Dan Church, Hydrogen ClientServices Director
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Professionals working in the sectors of energy,
clinical research, human resourcesand finance
rate international experience more highly than
their counterparts working in other sectors.
Dr Claudia Jonczyk, Associate Professor of
Organisational Behaviour at ESCP Europe,
comments that in the case of HR, for example,
international experience is essential. How are
you to recruit, evaluate and attract people in an
increasingly global workplace if you dont know
the different rules of engagement in respective
national job markets? Its essential to understand
that newcomers (from abroad) need to learn to
deal with cultural differencesand understand
what makes them feel welcome and stay
engaged, she says.
Energy isa typical sector where the value chain
of the business itself is often spread over multiple
countries, if not continents. To get asense of the
core business, you have to get out there and
live abroad.
Rory Ferguson, Hydrogen D
arwin P
ark Director,
specialises in placing energy professionals:
Global mobility is considered an integral part of
the job for most energy professionals. Those
choosing to work in the energy sector expect to
advance their career and develop their skillsby
working on projectsall over the world.
Subsequently,as recruiters looking to fulfil
against our candidate and client requirements,
international experience, or at least a willingness
to travel, features highly in our criteria when
finding the best people, simply because clients
prefer to hire those who have worked on
numerous international projects.
International mobility isalso considered
important within the pharmaceutical sector, as
Stephanie Murt
agh, M
anager Hydrogen
Pharmaceutical Practice, explains: Frequently
clinical research projects operate on a global
scale. Candidateswith experience of working
with international teamsare essential to these
clients. Our candidates know that by gaining
overseas experience not only will they be in high
demand but they will also give themselves
greater opportunity to work with specialists from
across the world. For our clients, hiring from a
global talent pool providesa wealth of
experience and cultural diversity.
How important is international experienceto your career growth?
"Globalisation of business
means that professionally
speaking, the environment is
very similar wherever you
work in the world. Yes, it is an
upheaval, but it's also anenlightening experience; one
which provides you with a
greater understanding of your
strengths and weaknesses,
and which allows you to
develop as a person and as a
professional."
Lyndsey McAuley - UK to UAE
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Echoing the findings of last years report, English speaking
countries tend to be the most popular with professionals. One of the
growing trends this year is the increase in interest of relocating to
emerging countriessuch asChinaand Brazil.
Top relocation destinations
The Middle East, Africa, Georgia,
South America, Ive wanted to work
abroad since the first day I joined an
oil company. To make it happen I
contacted overseas agencies, including
Hydrogen, so they could introduce me
to international companies.
I love working in new places and
meeting people from different cultures.
You learn to integrate and understand
diverse cultures as well as finding
out as much as possible about our
small world.
Michele Bonanni Italy to Iraq
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The reasons impacting any individuals decision
to work abroad are certain to be complex, but
there wasa notable difference in the findings this
year relating to why professionals want a joboverseas. While new experiences remains the
most cited reason (aswas the case in 2010),
greater earning potential has jumped up the list
this year and is thesecond biggest reason,
compared to taking fourth place last year.
The global downturn continues to make
headlines. Respondentswere asked specific
questionsabout the influence of the current
economic climate on their desire to work abroad.
Reasons for relocating
Has the economic climate influenced thedecision to workabroad?
But, for the second year running thisspecific
demographic of highly qualified, high earning
professionals did not find the economic climate to
be a major factor in taking the decision to work
abroad. In fact most respondentssaid it had notinfluenced their willingness to move abroad. The
proportion of those who considered the economic
climate to have increased a lot their willingness
to relocate has increased,but only slightly, from
ten percent in 2010 to 14 percent thi s year.
So, while this demographic is perhapsbecoming
more swayedby the ability to command higher
salaries elsewhere, the economic downturn isstill
not in itselfa driver to seeking a jobabroad.
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It is perhaps not surprising, given the dominance of the economic
downturn on mediaagendas, that respondents interested in
working abroad said their plans had been hampered by a lack of
jobs, with 44 percent citing insufficient job opportunitiesas the
biggest barrier. However, elsewhere in the survey, those
professionalsalready abroad were askedabout the length of their
jobsearch. The majority stated they had found a job within
six months, with nearly four in ten quickly securing a post -
within less than a month, and 59 percent securing their position
within two months.
Chief Technical Officer for IIR Middle East, Jonathan Wiggans, was
on a plane to Dubai from the UK within two months of deciding to
move to a permanent international position, after a career which
hadseen him working
away for two month
sata
time:I saw the advert at the beginning of September 2008, had a face
to face interview in London, a telephone interview with Dubai,
and landed there on November 3rd.
Its understandable in the current
climate that people think there are
fewer jobs. What we are seeing dropoff on a local level is being balanced
out as the number of global
opportunities increases.
Its more a case of perception than
reality, as 59% of candidates surveyed
in the report said they had secured a
position within two months from the
start of their search. The findings also
support the CV to interview ratio being
much better for candidates when
finding a role overseas than when
looking at home.
Tim Smeaton, Hydrogen GroupChief Executive Officer
Length of time taken in overseas jobsearch
What are the key barriers to finding a job?
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As was the case in last years report, usinga recruitment consultant
was found to be the first route to a job overseas, according to
respondents who had been successful in their search. Those keen
to work abroad that havent yet made the move were most likely to
have done internet research around the idea. This is in line with last
years findings, suggesting once again that a more formalised,
structured approach to an international jobsearch is thebest
means of securing a positive outcome.
How did you find your current job?
"Hydrogen was excellent at
keeping in touch, checking
everything was going well
with the job and the move."
Jonathan Wiggans - UK to UAE
"I returned to the UK in late
December 2010 and started
looking for work in January.
Within two weeks Hydrogen
had secured me a position."
Liane Glass -South Africa to UK
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Our survey asked professionalsalready abroad about
improvements to living conditions, salary, career prospectsand
personal development, and the responses were consistently
upbeat. Virtuallyall (98 percent) of the 756 professionalsalreadyworking abroad said relocating had been a positive experience for
them so much so that just under a quarter (23 percent) said they
intended to stay longer than originally intended.
When askedabout their next move, less than a fifth of respondents
said they wanted to return to their home country, with 38 percent
saying they were keen to find a job in another country.
Tim Smeaton, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrogen Group, says:
Were generally finding the candidates we place and move
overseasstay there longer than originally anticipated. Lower tax
rates, better perceived quality of life, and abuoyant employment
market can make it a far lessstressful environment. Thisbenefits
our clients equallyby creating a more settled working population,
thus removing the need for the generous expat schemes that used
to exist and are rapidly becoming harder to find.
The news that over three quarters of survey respondents have
been away for at least three years, and almost all moverssay they
would recommend working abroad to others, will surely be
welcomed by global businessesasmuch as it isby us, asa
specialist global recruiter.
Virtuallyall (98 percent) respondentssaid they would recommend
working abroad to others. Similarly, 93 percent reported that they
would go abroad again if given the chance. But for all the
satisfaction with working abroad and staying there longer
permanent residency remainsastep too far for most, with only
one in ten respondentsabroad saying they would seek a
change of status.
Commenting on these findings, Dr Claudia Jonczyk from ESCPEurope says that while it is increasingly common for professionals
to study, live and work abroad for some time, the typical pattern
remains to return home after 10 years. The reasons for thisare
numerousaswell as very individual, she explains. Deep down
the majority expect, or at least plan, to finally return home, while
at the same time they would not miss their overseas experience
foranything.
Liane Glass first arrived in the UK from South Africa in 2009. Shes
now enjoying her second placement made by Hydrogen, a rolling
three month contract asa financial accountant in the corporate
finance division of LloydsTSB in London. She always planned to
work internationallyand, while completing her three year
traineeshipat home, began preparations fora career overseasby
applying for the relevant visasand other paperwork and contacting
recruitment agencies.
Moving was quite a daunting experience but also exciting, as I
wassetting up a new life. Its definitely benefited my career,
especially in terms of everything Im learning. I dont feel Im
missing out on anything by not being at home, its far better to have
the international experience on my CV.
Ive had the chance to work in interesting environments with
people from all over the world. I've travelled through Europe and
really enjoy living in a vibrant city like London. At the moment I
havent made any long term decisionsas I still have so much to
gain from working in the UK, and have lots of other countries
to visit, she says.
Has relocating been a positive experience?
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However fulfilling their life
overseasmay be, professionals
working abroad will always
misssomething about home,
and for most its family, which
topped the miss list for sevenin ten of professionalsalready
abroad. Family was likewise the
top reason cited against
relocating. However, in terms of
adapting to new culturesand
making new friends,
respondents experienceswere
again positive.
Thesurvey included aspecific
question for those already
working abroad about
homesickness, which wasa
problem for only 6 percent of
professionals. The survey also
asked where they considered
home, with asurprisingly largenumber (40 percent) of
professionalssaying home is
where they currently are as
opposed to where their
families, or country of origin
were. A further 14 percent
clearly see themselvesas true
global citizens, describing
home as anywhere in
the world.
Social media hasbeen one of the great revolutions of our times,
radically changing the way we communicate with each other,
personallyand professionally. It isa major force in helping people
bridge the miles, and for professionalsworking abroad it is clearly a
vital tool to keeping in touch. While the availability of social media
was not asignificant influence on respondents decision to go
abroad, once there it wasa major factor in alleviating
homesicknesswith 71 percent saying the likes of Skype and
Facebook helped make the transition easier, though only 23
percent said social media connectivity wasan influence they took
into consideration before they left.
What do you miss? Has the use of social media/instant messaginghelped ease homesickness whilst overseas?
Ive made lots of friends and
done more exciting things than
if Id stayed at home. Im not
ruling out moving back but
wont consider it for another
year. Its been a challenge -
settling into a new office,missing family and friends,
and adapting to different ways
of doing things but I
wouldnt have missed it.
Jacqueline Leigh UK toAustralia
"Technology makes it so easy. We can
see each other and talk all the time
through Facebook, sharing pictures
and comments."
Jonathan Wiggans - UK to UAE
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16%
1%
3%29%
51%
3%
18%
79%
partnerwidow(er)
divorcedmarried
singlechildren over 18yrs
childrenunder 18yrsno children
20%femaleabroad
8%
1%
3%65%
23%
14%
40%
46%
partnerwidow(er)divorcedmarriedsinglechildren over 18yrschildrenunder 18yrsno children
80%
abroad
20
Moreover, double the percentage of women working abroad were
single, whereas the opposite was the case for men, who were more
likely to be married. Women working abroad also did not, in the
main, have children. Men, on the other hand, were just as likely to
have children, as not. A gender breakdown of respondents plans
for the future wassimilarly revealing, with double the percentage of
women (32 percent) stating they wanted to go back to their home
country, compared to just 15 percent of men.
Given the fact that the more international one's experience the
better, it wasalso revealing that women working abroad tended not
to travelas far afield asmen by limiting their development further.
Dr Claudia Jonczyk from ESCP Europe, believes the findings
resonate with what isalready known about the root causes of too
few women in top positions. It hasbeen repeatedly shown that
women face particular hurdles on the way to the top, she explains.
To name a few a lack of mentoring career sponsorship, lack of
access to influential (male) networks, aswell as the number of
children. All have been shown to negatively impact womens career
advancement and are hurdles that men simply do not have to face.
One of the biggest, and most emotive, employment issues is the
lack of women in board level positions.
Emma Halls, Hydrogen ANZ Director comments, In the last six
months we have experienced asignificant increase in the number
of clients wanting to interview high profile, board level women.
The survey offers fresh insight into factorsaffecting how few women
make it to the top in business namely that women are not getting
asmuch international experience asmen, thereby hindering their
career progression.
One of the key findings of the survey was the extent to which
professionalsand companies value international experience and
view it as vital toasuccessful career. Indeed, the correlation
between international experience and career progression is
generallyaccepted in most companies today. That only 20 percent
of respondents working abroad were women shows the extent to
which women are not benefiting from this important aspect of
career experience. Women do expressa desire to relocate almost
asmuch asmen, 41 percent of women, compared to 46 percent of
men, but the reality of working abroad isstill realised by many more
men than women.
She continues: When it comes to international assignments, the
trailing female spouse isstill the norm, the gender-based
assumption being that the mans career will take precedence.
Aside from gender based assumptionsand barriers, it remainsa
fact that working abroad is highly satisfying and fulfilling for women
and that the job opportunitiesare there to be had. Nine in ten
women said relocating had been a positive experience, had
accelerated their personal development and that theyd go abroad
again; every woman (100 percent) surveyed said they would
recommend the experience to others.
One woman enjoying this experience is Lyndsey McAuley, anAssociate with the legal firm Clifford Chance in Dubai. After making
the decision to move abroad and contacting Law Professionals,
Hydrogen Groupsspecialist legal recruitment business, she was
offered interviews with three firms within three weeks.
Professionally I have a lot more responsibility. I have developed far
more in the last six monthsasa lawyer than the previous two years
in London and Im undertaking a much broader role, both in terms
of geographyand practice area.
Lyndseys contract in Dubai isa permanent one, and she is flexible
with regards to how long she will remain in the country. She would
consider another international assignment on her departure from
Dubai possibly in Italy. She feels professional women are missing
out by not considering an international position even if it means
moving far from home.
I think there are misconceptions of the Middle East and Asia.
People perceive that theresan enormous cultural clash, but the
globalisation of businessmeans that professionallyspeaking, the
environment is very similar wherever you work. Yes, it isan
upheaval, but itsalso enlightening, providing you with a greater
understanding of your strengthsand weaknesses, allowing for
development asa person and asa professional.
Interestingly, womenssatisfaction ratings trailed mens in only twoareas. While 84 percent of men said moving abroad had improved
their salary, only 74 percent of women reported the same. Similarly,
78 percent of men said their living conditions had improved, while
that was the case for only 68 percent of women.
Simon Walker, Hydrogen Asia Regional Managing Director, says
diversity isa key issue among his clients: From partnering with
many large banking groups in Asia weve found diversity has
become a key theme when finding them the best talent. They want
to close the diversity gaps existing in their workplace to accurately
reflect the globalisation of their business. Many of our clients now
approach us to help them find highly qualified professionals of
different genders, racesand ages.
The gender divide
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The Hydrogen Global Professionals on the Move Report 2011 is
based on the results of a major online survey that ran during
December 2010/January 2011 and attracted 2,637 responses
from professionals of 85 different nationalities working in
professional services, industry and commerce, financial services
and the public sector.
The online survey was distributed usingbusinesssocial networking
sites, databases from Hydrogen Group, alumni of ESCP Europe,
and the University of Vienna.
The survey was conducted by a consultancy project team from
ESCP Europe and examined the opportunitiesand motivations of
mid- and senior-level professionals to working abroad.
The home country of the majority of respondents (35 percent) was
the United Kingdom, with the remaining coming from a fairly even
spread of countries in Europe, Australasia, North America,
the Middle East and Asia.
The respondents were mainly mid-senior level professionalsand a
majority earned in excess of USD76,000 per annum, the average
being USD100,000 per annum. Virtuallyall held qualifications of a
bachelor degree or above.
Of the 2,637 respondents, 81 percent were over the age of 30 and
87 percent had 5 or more years work experience.
The gender breakdown of the sample was 20 percent female and
80 percent male.
756 respondents were already abroad and of the 594 of those that
revealed their gender, 117 were female and 477 were male.
Grossannual income level (USD)
Age
Working experience
Education
Hydrogen Groupand ESCP Europe
Hydrogen Group isa global specialist recruitment group which
focuses on finding and building relationships with high-quality
specialist candidates that our clients have difficulty sourcing
themselves. Hydrogen recruitsacrossa number of global specialist
practice areas including technology, legal, HR, pharmaceutical,
finance, trading & advisory, and engineering.
www.hydrogengroup.com
ESCP Europe is one of the oldest businessschools in the world.Founded in Paris in 1819, the School provides postgraduate and
executive-levelbusiness education at five European campuses
(Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid and Turin), and globally viaabroad
network of academic partners.
www.escpeurope.eu
Appendix
for more information about this report please contact Alex Bigland
[email protected] or +44 (0)20 7090 7739