Most popular countries to work in
South Africa has been ranked as the 11th most appealing place in the G20 nations for foreigners seeking employment, according to a new survey by Boston Consulting Group.
The survey aimed to garner detailed information about how motivated employees feel, the factors that contribute to their job satisfaction, and their willingness to move abroad, amongst other things.
The survey tracked the responses of over 200,000 people from all over the world – 2,050 of which were from South Africa – and found that one in every five participants already has international work experience, and almost 64% said they would be willing to go to another country for work.
“A willingness to work abroad has become the new normal, at least among people looking for new job opportunities, who represent the majority of the survey’s participants,” BCG said.
Employees from France, Jamaica, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia were found to be the most adventurous, with over 90% of respondents indicating willingness to travel and work abroad.
Conversely, those from Denmark, Germany, the USA, Russia and the UK indicated less enthusiasm, with less than half of the respondent from those countries wanting to travel.
Between 60% and 70% of South Africa respondents said they would travel and work overseas – the same rating as other emerging markets such as China, Brazil and Malaysia.
Top destinations
Across the 19 economies (excluding the EU) that make up the G20 countries, the USA was ranked as the top working destination by all but 5 countries. China, Indonesia, Italy and Turkey ranked the USA as the second best choice, while Russia rated it third.
The UK was voted as the second best destination, overall, followed by Canada (3rd), Germany (4th) and France (5th).
Indonesia was ranked as the least favourite G20 destination, below India (18th), Turkey (17th), Korea (17th) and Saudi Arabia (15th).
South Africa was ranked 11th, overall.
Top 10 destination G20 countries
| # | Country |
| 1 | USA |
| 2 | UK |
| 3 | Canada |
| 4 | Germany |
| 5 | France |
| 6 | Australia |
| 7 | Italy |
| 8 | Japan |
| 9 | Brazil |
| 10 | Argentina |
Including other EU countries into an overall picture, Spain and Sweden and Switzerland push Japan, Brazil and Argentina out of the top 10 ranking.
BCG – most appealing destinations
Following the global trend, South Africans voted for the USA as their top destination, with the UK second.
However, deviating from the overall rankings, South Africans preferred Australia (6th overall) to Canada.
South Africa’s top destinations
| # | Country |
| 1 | USA |
| 2 | UK |
| 3 | Australia |
| 4 | Canada |
| 5 | Germany |
| 6 | France |
| 7 | Italy |
| 8 | Japan |
| 8 | Brazil |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia |
Looking at other countries with a liking for our local shores, Germans hold the country in the highest regard – ranking South Africa as their 7th favourite destination for employment.
The Turks and the Russians hold the least love for South Africa, ranking the country 15th and 14th, respectively.
Countries that love South Africa
| Country | SA# |
| Germany | 7 |
| UK | 8 |
| Canada | 9 |
| USA | 9 |
| France | 9 |
| Italy | 9 |
| India | 10 |
| Argentina | 11 |
| Brazil | 11 |
| Mexico | 13 |
| China | 13 |
| Indonesia | 13 |
According to BCG, people who work in engineering and technical jobs – in the information technology and telecommunications fields, in particular – are the most likely to say they would be willing to go abroad.
About 70% of engineers said this, the consulting group said.
“The world is hungry for what these workers have to offer, and engineers may in turn sense that they have a chance to significantly increase their earnings by going to places where there is a high demand for what they do, such as Silicon Valley in the U.S. and Silicon Roundabout in the UK.”
More on South Africa
How South Africans use their phones when abroad
Most expensive schools in South Africa
Loading ...