Talent Migration: What can Organizations Learn from Governments

The annual migration of wildebeest and zebras is one of the most fascinating sights in Africa. Every year one-and-a-half million wildebeest and 300,000 zebras undertake the 1,800 mile journey with their calves to go from Serengeti to Masai Mara. They cross torrential rivers filled with crocodiles and dodge the big cats that are forever ready to hunt them down. Yet, the migration continues every year even though almost 250,000 wildebeests do not survive this journey. Migration is a natural phenomenon that affects every species, including humans. Talent migration is inevitable in a global world. When talent migrates out, it can start as a trickle and then become a torrent.What drives migration across countries? Push FactorsWhile threats to survival are some of the most common push factors that lead to migration, it is usually driven by a lack of freedom and the threat to one’s freedom. Immigrants often talk about the lack of fairness in finding a job at home as the primary reason for immigration. Lack of high quality education and healthcare are powerful reasons for people to leave. Food and environmental scares are driving out a lot of people in China to countries with clean air. In 2013, 8.5 million mainly middle-class Chinese were living abroad, while only 848,000 people had moved to China, according to report by the Center for China & Globalization.Pull FactorsThe prospect of gain creates the biggest pull factors for talent migration. The likelihood of better job opportunities and living conditions, the freedom to pursue one’s choices and in general, a better life for the families marked by good quality education and medical care are the most common pull factors. According to UNESCO, almost 200,000 students from India go to study abroad. Almost 70 per cent of them go to US, UK or Australia.Other than wealth preservation, people will go to a place where their skills are better valued. Migration is then simply a process by which skill gaps draw in people from a diverse geographical base. Eventually some skills become critical for businesses to continue. These locations then become talent hubs. Silicon Valley in the US or Bengaluru in India has for long been the hub for people skilled in technology. In 2012 almost 51 per cent of Silicon Valley’s population spoke a language other than English compared to 21 per cent in the rest of US.According to the UN, the top megacities by population in 2030 will be Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Mumbai, Beijing, Dhaka, Karachi, Cairo, Lagos and Mexico City. New York, which features in the Top 10 city list, today does not feature at all in the 2030 rankings.What does it mean for organizations?Organizations need to draw lessons from countries. Every time the organization gets featured in the list of Great Places to Work, it becomes branded as a talent hub. Competitive advantage will come from having the right talent pool. Being known as an employer of choice will make it easier to get other people on board. Organizations will need to draw these lessons from immigration patterns of countries to learn what they need to do to become attractive to the talent pool they wish to have.Value Diversity: Talent hubs are all melting pots of culture. They make it possible for people of all origins and backgrounds to find a little piece of home. When a city becomes a talent hub, it is common to see people from all backgrounds visible and scattered across the city. Do the same in your organization. If your teams are not diverse in every way, you are not yet a talent hub.Become a Talent Hub: The opportunity to grow and learn from a talented peer group is a huge attraction in the new world. The people who are seen to be thought leaders are the best brand ambassadors the organization has. Leverage them to attract top talent from across the world.Opportunities to Collaborate: Talented people like to tinker and experiment with new ideas. Getting them to collaborate across work teams can be a powerful way to unleash new ideas and keep people engaged.There was a time when the products and services brands were what built organizations. An organization that becomes a talent hub in the new economy will have significant advantages over its peers. Understanding and then benchmarking what makes a city attract talent from across the world can be a great way for organizations to learn how to do this well.------------------------First written for People Matters September 2014Twitter @AbhijitBhaduri