AGS NEWS – A recent report by Boston Consulting Group and The Network reveals that nearly two-thirds of Nigerian professionals and three-quarters of Ghanaian professionals are open to working abroad.

The “Decoding Global Talent 2024” report, which surveyed over 150,000 workers in 188 countries, found that younger professionals and those from rapidly growing populations are more inclined to seek international opportunities.

English-speaking countries with robust economies, such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, are the preferred destinations, with cities like London and New York being highly desirable.

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Nigeria ranked 67th and Ghana 72nd in attractiveness to global workers, while Abuja and Lagos were 63rd and 103rd in the ranking of desirable cities.

Sebastian Dettmers, CEO of Stepstone Group, highlighted the global labor shortage due to declining birth rates and job market mismatches.

He emphasized the need for adaptable job markets to allow labor migration, helping bridge this gap.

The top countries Nigerians prefer for work abroad are Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and France.

This reflects a slight change from the 2020 survey, which included the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Ireland in the top 10.

Ghanaians favor Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, Germany, the UAE, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium for work opportunities.

Adwoa Banful, Principal at BCG, noted that West Africa continues to offer attractive job opportunities due to the quality of jobs, welcoming culture, and family-centric environment.

The report found that global talent primarily moves abroad for professional progress, with financial and economic reasons being the main drivers.

Better career opportunities, work experience, overall life quality, and concrete job offers were also significant factors for relocation.

Nigerian respondents additionally highlighted better educational and training opportunities and more challenging work as reasons for moving abroad.

Ghanaian respondents echoed these sentiments, with many seeking better educational opportunities and interesting work.

For those choosing specific countries, the quality of job opportunities, life quality, and climate were decisive factors.

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Reasons for relocating to Nigeria included job quality, a family-friendly environment, and a welcoming culture. For Ghana, job quality, a welcoming culture, and safety were the main attractions.

Nigerian and Ghanaian respondents unwilling to move abroad cited the inability to bring family members and the cost of relocation as major deterrents.

Sacha Knorr, Co-managing Director at The Network, noted that people choose countries based on perceived advantages and benefits.