The Stepstone Group
Global job market ranking: Germany is the most popular non-English-speaking country

Press release

Global job market ranking: Germany is the most popular non-English-speaking country

• Australia climbs to the top of the country comparison, USA and Canada in 2nd and 3rd place
• Germany close behind in 5th place
• No. 1 reason for moving to Germany: good job opportunities
• Employees want support with the visa process

Düsseldorf, April 24, 2024. Germany takes the top spot among non-English-speaking countries in a worldwide  ranking of the most popular international work locations. This is shown by the international labor market study “Decoding Global Talent” by the digital recruiting platform The Stepstone Group, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group and The Network. With more than 150,000 employees from more than 180 countries surveyed, including over 14,000 in Germany, the survey is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The new international leader this year is Australia – ahead of the USA and Canada, the previous winner of the 2020 ranking. Germany relinquishes its fourth place from the previous study to the UK but remains the most popular non-English-speaking country.

In a comparison of major international cities, Berlin remains a magnet for employees worldwide: the capital is in 6th place – behind Abu Dhabi and New York. This year, first place again goes to London, followed by Amsterdam (2nd place) and Dubai (3rd place).

International mobility is a great opportunity for the labor market

According to the study, around a quarter (23%) are currently actively looking for a job outside their home country – despite global challenges such as geopolitical tensions, ongoing inflation, and concerns about recession. And the proportion of those who would be prepared in principle to go abroad for a job is also at a stable high level of 63% worldwide (2020: 66%) – albeit lower than before the coronavirus pandemic (2018: 78%).

However, respondents in Germany are significantly less willing to leave the country for a job: Less than half would want to work abroad and only just under 7 percent are currently actively looking for a job outside Germany. The top destinations for German respondents are the neighboring countries of Switzerland and Austria, followed by the USA and Spain. In turn, Germany is a particularly attractive destination for people from Bosnia and Herzegovina (32%), Turkey (30%), Pakistan and Hungary (26% each).

“Demographic change poses a major challenge for the labor market: we are running out of workers. Without immigration, we will not be able to maintain our prosperity,” says The Stepstone Group labour market expert Dr. Tobias Zimmermann, co-author of the study. “It is a huge opportunity that so many people are keen to move to Germany for a good job. Politics and business should work even more closely together to promote more flexible and faster labor market integration.”

Attractive jobs and support with the visa process desired

The global study also shows that in most cases, it is the specific job offer that determines whether employees want to go abroad – and less because they associate a particular country with individual benefits. This also applies to Germany: for almost three quarters of respondents (74%), job quality is the reason they choose Germany, while the healthcare system, for example, is only relevant for around a third (34%).

At the same time, 77% expect their future employers to take significant care of the immigration process and support them in applying for visas and work permits, for example. “In the competition for workers from abroad, those companies will win that know their future employee requirements and offer talented people attractive working conditions as well as organizational support – for example when applying for work permits. Unfortunately, this is often still very laborious in Germany,” says Jens Baier, Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group, and co-author of the study.

Please download the full report here: „Decoding Global Talent”: Dream Destinations and Mobility Trends

About the study “Decoding Global Talent”

BCG, The Network (together with its affiliate organizations), and The Stepstone Group conducted this anonymous, online survey from October through December 2023. All told, 150,735 people in 188 countries participated. In Germany alone, there were more than 14,000 participants. The “Decoding Global Talent” survey is being published for the fourth time in a row. The survey elicited workers’ attitudes on various topics, including their willingness to move abroad for work, the countries they would most like to work in, their reasons for choosing those countries, and their expectations of their future employers in a new country. The data gathered in the survey (including a wide range of information on participants’ demographic and professional backgrounds) made it possible to analyze workers’ attitudes on the basis of multiple parameters.

BCG also conducted follow-up interviews with select study participants around the world—many of whom were interviewed before and have been followed for several years.

About Boston Consulting Group

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About The Stepstone Group

The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. The Stepstone Group connects more than 130 million job applications with around 140,000 employers every year. With its integrated platforms, The Stepstone Group simplifies the candidates job search as well supporting recruiters with AI-powered solutions for the entire recruitment process. In 2023, The Stepstone Group generated revenue of around €1 billion. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 30 countries—including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the US, and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs around 4,000 people worldwide.

For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/en.

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