The UAE is attracting a large number of professionals from all around the world and emerges as top destination for workers on the move. A new study tracks talent migration among 300 million members of a social media website and reveals that 75 percent of the total talent flow is from outside the Middle East.
The study results were revealed by LinkedIn, the largest professional network in the world, who connects more than 300 million users. After analyzing data, researchers found that the tiny federation was the most popular destination for expatriate professionals, attracting more talent as a percentage of its workforce than countries such as Canada, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, and Singapore. The list includes a total of 20 countries, led by the UAE, which saw inflow of employees at 1.3 percent, particularly among architecture and engineering professions. This may reflect the rapid development in the country and the increasing demand of skilled workers in these fields. The Talent Migration, which looked at the flow of skilled workforce between November 2012 and 2013, also found that India is the largest source of talent in the UAE. Other talent gainers in the analysis are Switzerland (1%), Saudi Arabia (0.9%), Nigeria (0.9%), and Singapore (0.5%).
The study also points out that one in three LinkedIn members who migrated (100 miles away or more) last year, relocated in another country. Many of the migrating professionals were promoted in the destination country and 40 percent of them gained managers’ positions or even higher. As a percentage of the total country workforce, Spain, which is in tough economic condition and has one of the highest rates of unemployment right now, saw the most talent leaving the country, or 0.3 percent of its workforce. The majority of Spanish workers went to the United Kingdom, which is also among the biggest workforce losers, as well.
Besides Indian workers, the UAE attracted talent from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. Skills in management and leadership, engineering, sales, accounting, and lifestyle-related fields were the most imported.
