Indian Job Seekers Prefer Canada & UK For Work

Canada and UK have gained in popularity amongst international job seekers, including Indians, according to a recent report from Indeed. While there has been a substantial fall in the share of searches for jobs in the United States, presumably owing to its immigration policies, a major portion of international job seeker interest has been picked up by Canada and the UK. The searches are primarily for high paying roles in technology, research, and finance.

Job seeker interest swings from the US to Canada and UK

Data from Indeed indicates that Indian job seekers are exploring opportunities in Canada nearly twice as much as they did two years ago with a massive shift in cross-border searches from the US to Canada. Between the periods of August 2016 – July 2018, the US share of job searches from India fell from 60 percent to 50 percent, while there was a rise in searches for Canada from 6 percent to 13 percent. 

Alternatively, UK has the potential to keep its position as a global tech and banking magnet in a post-Brexit world, provided that its migration policy is sufficiently flexible to accommodate an internationally mobile workforce. Since 2015, job seekers based in other countries have typically accounted for between 8 percent and 10 percent of the overall job applications for tech jobs in the UK. It was recorded that the maximum number of people looking for jobs in the UK were from India. 

Demand for jobs in the STEM sector grows

While looking for employment abroad, there is greater demand for jobs in the STEM sector, especially for niche roles. Given the rate at which Canada is booming in terms of technology, the number of foreign applications the country is receiving has been massive, not just due to the immigration policy, but also the growth potential offered by the technology industry. 

When it comes to the UK, data indicates that jobs which involve technology, finance, and language skills are popular with foreign job seekers. 

The below-listed job titles appealed to Indian job seekers who are looking to apply in Canada and UK:

Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India said, “It is interesting to note the impact of the changing political environment on international labor market trends. Clearly what used to be every high-skilled Indian’s dream, to move to the US, has now been impacted by the turbulent immigration climate which has worked in Canada’s and UK’s favour. While there could be several factors triggering this sudden shift of interest, it was inferred that this trend, which began in mid-2017 witnessed a sudden up-shoot towards the end of 2017. This is the period when the H1-B restrictions came into light, with visa applications and processes being delayed, which has resulted in the lookout for career options in an alternative country,” 

Rajguru Tandon

BW Reporters The author is a correspondent with BW Businessworld with keen interest in HR and employee welfare.