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 per cent of global respondents, 60% of Nigerians, and 69 per cent of Ghanaians).
