Global Professionals on the Move Report 2011

8/7/2019 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

Documents

Global Professionals on the Move Report 2011