Overseas posts in demand but grads shun emerging markets
MOVING abroad for work is becoming more common, a survey out today shows – but globe-trotting graduates are reluctant to move to emerging markets.
A poll of 900 global firms found that the average firm had around 250 employees on international assignments in 2009, up from 200 in 1998. PwC expects this to rise to around 375 by 2020.
A typical placement is 18 months, down from a three-year tour that was common a few decades ago.
The rise in professionals being sent abroad is also in response to employee demand, PwC believes.
Seven in 10 graduates in western Europe want to spend some of their career abroad, compared to 93 per cent in Africa.
While half of those polled said they would be prepared to work in a less developed nation, six in 10 graduates picked the US as their preferred destination. This leaves behind India, where 11 per cent want to work, and China, which appeals to just two per cent.