Expats dream of working in London ahead of anywhere else in the world, according to a new study.
But although London is a magnet for thousands of foreign workers, Brexit worries have seen Britain drop three places from second to fifth as the most attractive country for professionals seeking work.
And as the UK moves past the second anniversary of the historic 2016 Brexit vote, the survey also reveals almost two out of three British workers would consider taking a post overseas – an increase of 18% since 2014.
The report Decoding Global Talent 2018 is one of the most exhaustive expat surveys in the world, asking hundreds of thousands of people using 50 global recruitment sites for their opinions about work.
USA is favourite country for foreign workers
The UK job site taking part in the survey, totaljobs, says 360,000 expats from 200 different countries voted London the best global city – but the number of expats moving to the UK for work from the EU was down 6.5%.
The most favoured country was the USA, followed by Germany, Canada and Australia ahead of Britain.
Expats coming to Britain are more likely to fill highly-skilled or management posts, says the study, particularly in the fields of law, media, technology and science.
Social workers were the least likely professionals to come to the UK.
Brain drain fears in UK
The countries scoring the UK as the most attractive country to work in were Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana and Nigeria. Those least likely to come are from the EU, the UAE and China.
Mike Booker, international director at totaljobs said: “While the UK may have lost some of its lustre, London remains the number one destination for talent worldwide post-Brexit. London’s enduring attractiveness does not appear to have been impacted by the European referendum, and the city’s cosmopolitan reputation as a welcoming, open city for overseas workers remains.
“While international talent continues to come to London, UK workers are also broadening their horizons. With young employees and those with advanced degrees or tech backgrounds eager to move, the UK needs to look at how to retain this highly-sought after talent to address the skills gap.”