Global mobility of professionals falls 8.5% as of August: BCG

Tighter migration policies in major economies contributed to the decline.

For the first time since 2020, the global mobility of highly skilled professionals declined, falling 8.5% year-on-year as of end-August 2025, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

About 2.4 million highly skilled workers, or 1.12% of a tracked pool of 214 million, relocated across borders, representing 220,000 fewer than last year, BCG said in its top talent tracker Q4 2025.

The decline reflected tighter migration policies in major economies, notably Canada and the UK, economic uncertainty, and weaker hiring in many major economies, it added.

Here’s more from BCG:

“The US remains dominant, with a 2.4-percentage-point rise in market share, while traditional hubs in Europe lost share.

For example, Germany saw a slight decline in AI market share and no meaningful gains in highly skilled or STEM talent. This reflects broader economic stagnation and the EU-wide challenge of retaining and attracting top talent.

Emerging hubs — particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia —are surging: the UAE alone attracted about 178,000 highly skilled professionals, adding 0.8 points in share and rising to second place for STEM talent, surpassing Canada and the UK.

The competition for the world’s best and brightest remains dynamic. The UAE now ranks among the top three destinations for overall, STEM, and AI talent—marking a remarkable global ascent, with Saudi Arabia following closely.

Private-sector leaders seeking world-class talent should look to our new list of ten
stepping-stone institutions—the universities, some unexpected, that have produced the most globally mobile AI graduates.”