Nigeria has been ranked 67th in a new report on global worker attractiveness by Boston Consulting Group and The Network.
Lagos was ranked 63rd among desired cities, while Ghana was placed 72nd, with nearly two-thirds of Nigerian professionals and three-quarters of Ghanaian professionals willing to work abroad.
The report highlights that English-speaking countries with strong economies, including Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, are the top destinations, with London and New York among the most desirable cities.
The world’s major economies are facing a major challenge: a severe shortage of labour. This growing gap in the global labour market is primarily due to declining birth rates and mismatches between job supply and demand.
Labour migration represents a prime opportunity to address this gap. It is essential to adapt job markets to be more flexible, allowing workers to move to where they are most needed and where they can find positions that best match their skills and aspirations.
The report also highlighted that the top 10 countries where Nigerians prefer to work abroad are Canada, UK, USA, Australia, Germany, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and France. This shows a slight change from the 2020 survey, which included the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Ireland in the top 10 destinations.
On the other side, Ghanaians’ top 10 countries for work opportunities are Canada, USA, UK, Australia, Germany, the UAE, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.
West Africa remains an attractive destination for local professionals and those from across the continent and overseas seeking to advance their careers.
Nigeria and Ghana, in particular, draw many due to the quality of job opportunities and the region’s welcoming culture and family-centric environment.
The report revealed that global talent primarily relocates for professional advancement, with financial and economic reasons being significant motivators (64% of global respondents, 60% of Nigerians, and 69% of Ghanaians).
Career considerations such as gaining work experience (56% of global, 69% of Nigerians, and 73% of Ghanaians), better overall quality of life (55% of global, 51% of Nigerians, and 57% of Ghanaians), and having a concrete job offer (54% of global, 51% of Nigerians, and 50% of Ghanaians) also play key roles in their decision to move abroad.
Nigerian respondents also highlighted better educational and training opportunities (64% versus 37% of global respondents) and more interesting or challenging work (63% versus 48% of global respondents) as top reasons to relocate.
The same goes for Ghanaian respondents who would relocate because of better educational and training opportunities (70%) and more interesting or challenging work (68%).
“For global respondents who listed a specific reason for choosing a particular country, the quality of job opportunities was the top decisive factor (65%), with quality of life and climate ranking second (54%).
“Other country-specific characteristics, such as opportunities for citizenship (18%) and health care (15%) also play a role but are secondary factors,” the report highlighted.
Respondents highlighted several reasons for relocating to Nigeria, including the quality of job opportunities (52%), a family-friendly environment (40%), and a welcoming culture and inclusiveness (34%).
For Ghana, the primary reasons revealed were the quality of job opportunities (48%), a welcoming culture and inclusiveness (40%), and safety, stability, and security (38%).
The main deterrents for Nigerian and Ghanaian professionals not willing to move overseas include the inability to bring family members or a life partner (43% and 50%, respectively) and the high cost of relocation (39% and 36%, respectively).
Experts note that people do not necessarily associate countries with specific advantages but rather choose destinations that align with their job and lifestyle criteria.
Companies can capitalize on this by offering job opportunities that meet these expectations, thereby attracting top talent.
