News View - BaselArea

Tuesday, 21.10.2008

Switzerland is the most attractive country for managers

A study shows that the battle for talent is being lost by big countries such as France, Germany and Great Britain. Switzerland is winning hands down.

In a survey by the executive recruitment service Experteer among more than 13,000 employees from 20 European countries it is shown that 13 percent of European managers have already accepted a job abroad. The most significant international migratory movements of Europe’s top talents are seen in the consulting sector, the banking and financial sector and IT.

 

Switzerland is the most attractive country
Switzerland is the European country with the greatest appeal for foreign managers. With a net talent import of 42 percent, this small Alpine country is right at the top as a favourite of Europe’s leading managers. Other net winners are the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. A reverse trend is seen especially in Germany with a net talent export of 10 percent. Compared with all other West European countries, Germany is thus losing more top managers on average than it is attracting. “The brightest brains in Germany are more mobile than they were a few years ago and tend to be more willing to move to another country for the next step in their career”, says Dr. Christian Göttsch, CEO of executive recruitment service Experteer. Other losers are France with nine percent of emigrating managers and Great Britain with eight percent.

 

East European countries are being hit the hardest
With an average net talent export of 18 percent, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are losing more managers than any other region in Europe. In particular East European technical or industrial specialists and project managers are tending to move abroad.
(mbr/sda)