Post-pandemic, a golden period for skilled professionals moving overseas

By Meenakshi Iyer

Post-Covid, developed economies like the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, and many more have been facing an acute shortage of labor due to an aging population and a low birth rate.

Looking beyond borders, these countries are streamlining their immigration systems at the federal, state, and regional levels to attract the best talents from fields like IT, healthcare, STEM, education, etc.

A significant uptick in global demand for skilled professionals has been noted as countries recognize the importance of attracting talent to support their economic growth and development.

Shortages are most pronounced abroad for skilled individuals, especially in the healthcare, IT, legal, hospitality, and financial sectors.

For example, Germany needs 630,000 skilled professionals immediately, in addition to 80,000 teachers by 2030, according to a Cologne Institute study.

According to the government's 'Make it in Germany' website, the professions in demand include nursing professionals, physicians, engineers, IT specialists, and scientists.

Most of the other developed countries have been scouting for talent in the same sectors, in addition to hotels and restaurants, industry, construction, and logistics.

Canada announced last month that it would be focusing on Express Entry candidates who have work experience in healthcare, STEM professions, trades (carpenters, plumbers, and contractors), transport, and agriculture.

Indian talent from the IT sector is much in demand across the world with their growth story being witnessed in Silicon Valley, which boasts of names like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and Arvind Krishna.

India's healthcare professionals have always been welcomed in the Gulf countries, and in recent years, several European and North American countries have encouraged migration.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the UK announced a fast-tracked visa for medical professionals late in 2019. The visa would aim to address shortages in the country's National Health Service (NHS).

More than 15,000 doctors in the NHS as of 2017 had received their primary medical qualification in India, and Indians represented the top non-British nationality for NHS staff as of early 2019.

In the UK, healthcare professionals like orthodontists, nephrologists, anaesthesiologists, and pediatricians draw an annual salary of 94 to 95.9 lakhs, according to study abroad consultants.

Canada recently invited 500 healthcare workers to immigrate under its new category-based Express Entry selection draws after Statistics Canada data showed 144,500 vacant positions within the healthcare and social assistance sector as of March 2023.

Post-pandemic, government data shows a continued rise in the demand for nurses trained in India from several nations, including Canada, Ireland, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.

India positions second after the Philippines in the number of nurses migrating to foreign shores for better employment opportunities and higher salaries.

According to eeNews, Europe, Germany, and Romania have been calling for AI engineers from across the world.

After AI, items engineering had 3,759 vacancies and was in high demand throughout the UK. Switzerland, Turkey, France, Sweden, and Finland are other nations on the lookout for system engineers.

Engineering specialties are in high demand in the EU, which includes Java developers, system administrators, and software and electronic engineers. (IANS/AB)