Portugal rises in the ranking of the most attractive countries for foreign workers

Portugal is the 26th most attractive destination for foreign workers, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with The Network. The country rose four places compared to the ranking recorded in the ranking in 2018.

Portugal climbs some positions on this list, although the study concludes that worker mobility is declining due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Decoding Global Talent, Onsite and Virtual study, the pandemic had a significant impact on workers' interest in working abroad; in addition, the preference now falls on countries that have had better results in containing the pandemic.

In this ranking, which results from surveys of 209,000 people in 190 countries, Canada leads the preferences of foreign workers, even surpassing the United States - the former leading destination, which has moved into second place. Australia ranks third, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. In the second half of the top 10 are Japan (6th), Switzerland (7th), Singapore (8th), France (9th) and New Zealand (10th).

The study points out that the way countries dealt with the pandemic crisis had an impact on the ranking in this ranking: countries such as Italy and Spain, previously popular, even left the top 10 of the ranking. Singapore and New Zealand, which had better results in containing the pandemic, entered the table of the ten most attractive countries.

Analyzing by city, Lisbon rises 12 positions in the ranking, going from 40th place in 2018 to 28th position, following the rise of Portugal. Cities like New York, Barcelona, ​​Rome or Madrid have lost their attractiveness.

48% of respondents in Portugal willing to work abroad

In Portugal, 48% of respondents stated that they were willing to work outside the country, a percentage that is below the 50% of people globally who said they were willing to work abroad.

In 2018, the percentage of Portuguese people available to work abroad was 8 p.p. above, standing at 58%. Globally, it stood at 57%.

The smallest openness to work outside the respective country was transversal to several nationalities. "People are less receptive to working abroad due to Covid-19," says Rainer Strack, managing director & senior partner at BCG. "In addition, with the increase in remote work, many consider that they can work in a virtual way, without the need to emigrate", points out the same person in charge.

70% of respondents in Portugal replied that they would be willing to work from the country of origin for a foreign employer with no physical presence in the country. This figure is above the 57% of the world average.

It is in the sectors of Information and Digital Technologies that respondents showed greater openness to work in a virtual way. Worldwide, around 71% of respondents with a digital or analytics background and 67% of respondents with an Information Technology background responded that they would be willing to work for a company with no physical presence in their country.