LinkedIn analysis reveals UK professional talent outflow

The UK experienced a net outflow of professional talent between November 2012 and November 2013, according to an analysis of the location of LinkedIn members as recorded in their profile.
Wed, 21 May 2014The UK experienced a net outflow of professional talent between November 2012 and November 2013, according to an analysis of the location of LinkedIn members as recorded in their profile.

According to the international professional network, 132,085 professionals across five major professional sectors came into the UK during this 12-month period, while 169,742 left to go overseas.

Of the top skills flowing into and out of the UK, the creative industries were the most represented, above finance and engineering (see below).

Rank                          Skills flowing out                              Skills flowing in
1                                 Publishing                                           Publishing
2                                 Management and Leadership        Management and Leadership
3                                 Engineering                                        Politics
4                                 HR                                                        Engineering
5                                 Trading and Investment                   HR

The data also reveals that the US was ranked first, both as a source of professional talent into the UK and as a destination for UK talent.

Top 5 source of talent into the UK
    

  1. US
  2. Spain
  3. France
  4. Australia
  5. India

Top 5 destinations for UK talent

  1. US
  2. Australia
  3. India
  4. South Africa
  5. Nigeria

David Cohen, director of LinkedIn Talent Solutions for Northern Europe, says: “This data indicates that the UK is important hub for international talent in a number of industries, particularly the creative industries, management, engineering and HR.”

Other results from the analysis, which looked at the net inflow and outflow of LinkedIn members for 20 countries

UAE saw a strong inflow of professionals at 1.3% net gain, particularly among architecture and engineering roles. The vast majority of members who moved to the UAE (75%) came from outside of the Middle East, with India and the UK providing the biggest sources of talent.

Spain has experienced the largest net loss of 0.3%, most likely as a result of the economic challenges in recent years. Proximity to their home country appears to be an important driving factor with 60% of professionals who left Spain remaining within Europe, and the UK being the top destination.

Germany has achieved a net gain of 0.4% showing it is one of Europe’s strongest and most resilient economies. The analysis indicates that over 60% of members moving to Germany in the past year came from another European country and that it has attracted a strong inflow of technical skills with most professionals coming in to do engineering and research roles, working in the automotive and software industries.

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