Where does the world want to work?
There are various reasons why somebody wants to move away from their hometown, but one of the leading factors is the pursuit of a new career. Here at Jobseeker, we’ve analysed social trend data to depict the movement of talent across 30 key countries.
It’s a leap of faith for job seekers to move away from the place they consider home, whether pursuing a career in the big city or starting fresh thousands of miles away to experience an entirely new culture or challenge.
Today, people’s ambitions and chosen careers can take them anywhere they want to go. Take the United Kingdom, for example, where a recent survey published in IFA Magazine suggests 23% of UK adults are considering moving abroad in the next five years. Travelling across the pond, AARO estimates that 5.4 million Americans were living abroad in 2023.
Globalisation has opened the door to enticing job opportunities all around the globe (in fact, it’s thought that 800 million people are actively looking for a job overseas right now). What we want to understand is where the world wants to work most. With the world now literally at your fingertips, where would you go if you had the chance?
Celebrating the mobility of talent, we’ve followed the social trends of global job seekers to reveal people’s desired work destinations that aren’t their hometowns. By combining national and regional search data, we’ve mapped the trending destinations people are looking to move to for work and predict the best opportunities for relocation.
International relocation: Where does the world want to work?
Using the template ‘jobs in [country name]’, we charted the flow of residents' search trends across 30 nations most commonly perceived as places people would want to work. The tracked countries were chosen due to having a “strong job market” and high GDP as referenced by U.S. News & World Report.
Workers all over the globe appear ready for a new job opportunity, perhaps a little further afield than many may have predicted. Take a look at where the world wants to work.
Canada is most frequently selected for relocation among the nations reviewed, making it the most popular destination for people to work that isn’t their home country. A desire to work in Canada is the most prominent trend among job seekers in Costa Rica, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Australia is the next most frequently selected country to relocate for work across the study. It’s been chosen by seven other nations including Denmark, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Switzerland and the United States have been chosen six times each. Britain is the top trend in two countries, Australia and the USA.
Top country to relocate for work: Canada
For many years, Canada has been an appealing location for people all around the world to live and work. Canada has typically taken a pro-immigration stance through the Express Entry scheme to address the ageing population and labour demands.
As such, the employment rate among landed immigrants in 2023 reached 82.6%, a statistic that has steadily risen since 2020. Factoring accessibility while considering Canada’s comparatively strong economy, healthcare system and diverse culture — it’s clear why it remains an ideal location for people to relocate.
Breakout countries: Switzerland and Japan
While Canada tops the list overall, the trend data indicates that Switzerland (the top European destination) and Japan are the breakout nations in 2024. We predict they may soon become more prominent in the minds of people looking to move abroad for work.
Searches for job opportunities in Switzerland are the fastest-growing trend in the United States, increasing in demand by 315% across 2024. Chosen as the top destination for Australians, searches for job opportunities in Japan are also consistently increasing across many other nations including the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Ireland and the USA.
Why are job seekers increasingly looking to move to Switzerland or Japan? There are various factors influencing the mobility of talent around the world. According to Prospects, Switzerland’s job market provides a combination of high earning potential alongside low taxation. Though the Swiss market is keenly competitive, there is a broad skills shortage in construction, healthcare, information technology, retail and trade.
As for Japan, the country's unique culture is inspiring travellers to make a more permanent switch. Schemes such as the Working Holiday Visa are making Japan more accessible to the outside world (though work isn’t the primary intention of the visa). Many reports — including a recent article in TimeOut — indicate that Japan is the fastest-growing travel destination among younger generations, with data in this study suggesting people now want to start establishing a life there.
Domestic relocation: Top U.S. cities for American job seekers
Moving away from a hometown doesn’t necessarily mean you’re planning to move abroad, a trend evident across the United States. The average American moves 11.7 times in their lifetime, with work being among the top factors for doing so. For context, the U.S. also remains the world’s highest domestic travel market according to Statista — so a move between cities is extremely common for American job seekers.
Where in America are people most keenly looking to relocate for work? We looked at 20 major U.S. cities with the highest population to find out.
According to the trend data, Houston is the most popular city in the United States to relocate for work. Houston (or H-Town) is among the top trending locations for job seekers in nine cities across the states including Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio and Seattle.
As somewhat of a surprise, New York City appears a far less popular draw for job seekers in the U.S. despite being the country's most populated city according to Brittanica. The Big Apple was the top trend in just four locations reviewed: Philadelphia, Washington, San Francisco and Seattle (joint with Houston and San Jose).
Equally, the glitz and glam of Los Angeles isn’t making job seekers in the states starry-eyed. Job searches in Los Angeles are the top trend in just one U.S. location, nearby San Diego.
Key trend: Houston is the go-to city for American job seekers
Searches for ‘jobs in’ Houston appeared most frequently across our review of major U.S. cities, far exceeding the trend toward New York City or Los Angeles which are both typically considered household destinations around the globe.
Why has Houston become such a domestic draw? According to the moving company PODS, Houston’s “booming job scene” might be the explanation. There is a large energy sector in the city while the Texas Medical Centre provides lots of healthcare-related job opportunities. Some people also know Houston as ‘Space City’ due to being the home of NASA (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center), so it’s also appealing for hi-tech job roles.
Houston is generally considered very affordable, with the cost of living including rent being an estimated 48.5% lower than that of New York City. Texas is also a state that does not levy state income taxes, unlike New York or California.
Domestic relocation: Top UK cities for British job seekers
Many people across the United Kingdom move away from their hometowns in pursuit of a career. A significant proportion of this means moving to a string of the nation’s big cities like Manchester, Edinburgh and, of course, London. According to ONS figures, 36% of university graduates who took their GCSEs between 2008 and 2011 now live in a different area from where they attended school — and in 2022, 66,000 people moved to the English capital.
But does the hubbub of London still appeal to British job seekers? We analysed search trend data between the UK’s biggest cities to find where people want to work most.
Among UK job seekers, London remains a popular destination to land a job, being the most widely selected by those currently residing in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds and Leicester. But the capital certainly hasn’t monopolised people's job hunt. Leicester and Nottingham also appear particularly popular, each selected by three other cities.
The trend data indicates a regional pattern across the United Kingdom, with people living in cities located in the midlands often looking close by for work. People in Birmingham, for example, appear just as likely to move to Coventry or Leicester as they would London.
Further up north, the regional trend continues as people in Manchester are most frequently looking for jobs in Liverpool or Leeds, a distance of around 31 miles and 43 miles away respectively. The same can be said for Scotland, where people living in Edinburgh and Glasgow appear likely to move to each other's cities in pursuit of a job.
London bucks the trend, with job seekers living in London wanting to move far away from the capital in their next role. Is the allure of the big city wearing thin for those who already live there? The data suggests so.
Key trend: London job seekers to move away from the capital
Of Londoners searching for jobs in major UK cities, 6 in 10 (57%) are looking for a job role outside of the capital city. The places London-based job seekers are searching most frequently are further up north and in Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Nottingham.
However, Birmingham and Bristol have experienced the biggest recent surge in interest. Searches for ‘jobs in’ these cities have increased by 85% and 60% respectively among London-based job seekers — more than any other UK location reviewed.
Why might Londoners be looking to move away from the capital for work? Factors such as the high cost of living and the rise of hybrid working may be key indicators for people looking to move from the big city. In fact, the price comparison website Uswitch indicates that rent in London is at least 50% more on average than any other UK city.
Where the world wants to work: What does the mobility of talent say about the global job market?
Moving away from a hometown to pursue a career opportunity is a significant moment in a job seeker’s life. There are various reasons why someone makes the momentous decision to take that leap. It could be to chase a dream job, gain a sense of independence, itch that sense of adventure or simply (perhaps most significantly, today) create an environment where the cost of living feels more manageable and to obtain a stronger work-life balance. Job seekers also often move away from their hometown to a location where their skillset is highly valued — for example, U.S. tech firms invest heavily in artificial intelligence.
As the study shows, moving away from the place someone considers home can also be to many different locations. For some it’s their neighbouring city; to others, it’s a hop skip and jump halfway across the world. What’s significant about the job market — something which wasn’t perhaps a consideration to previous generations — is the growing global mindset cultivates more opportunities to relocate and travel than ever before. The most recent international emigration statistics from the UK, for example, estimate that 532,000 are emigrating long-term (that’s 39,000 higher than the figure in 2022).
“Despite the concept of asynchronous or remote working being more commonplace in people’s professional lives, job seekers are still moving to find their dream careers,” says David Overmars, career and resume expert at Jobseeker. “Location remains an essential factor, both to embrace a specific sector such as tech or healthcare and establish a healthy work-life balance. My advice to job seekers intending to move for work is to master writing what’s known as a CV objective, a concise personal statement that lays out an individual's intentions. They’re fantastic tools for people with little experience, those changing careers or candidates moving to a new place if a hiring manager is exclusively looking at local applicants.”
Expert tip: Use a CV objective to land a role in a new location
A CV objective is a concise version of a cover letter or personal statement. It’s a one or two-line targeted statement outlining career goals and suitability for a given role. “Think of it as an elevator pitch for your intended career trajectory,” says David Overmars.
CV objectives are ideal for someone intending to move to a new location. They can be used to demonstrate your desire to move and appeal to a hiring manager who may otherwise be exclusively considering local candidates.
David’s tips to ace a CV objective
- Make it specific to the role: Tailor the pitch to the job opening or description, emphasizing the relevant skills, experience and location — this will help your application pass pre-screening tests.
- Concentrate on what you’re offering the employer: A common pitfall is making CV objectives overly personal. The best way to impress an employer is by showcasing what you can offer to the role by moving.
- Focus on fundamental skills: With a CV objective, you’re showcasing immediate value to the role. Perhaps you’re bilingual and the job role requires you to speak the local language. Make sure to mention such a skill from the start.
Are you looking to make a big move away from your current home? Explore our resume templates to tailor a CV that secures a role to take that next big step in your career.
Methodology
Our research aims to uncover where people dream of working that isn't their hometown, city, or country. The data was pulled using Google Keyword Planner with "all languages" selected to isolate total volume and search volume demand (%) to a specific region or nation.
Seedlists were used to determine countries and regional locations that are typically considered popular locations where someone might want to work.
Additional sources:
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/united-kingdom
- https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/good-job-market
Data collected in September 2024 (19th-25th).
