Global High-Skilled Talent Mobility Drops 12% as AI Talent Race Heats Up
Event summary
- Cross-border relocations of highly skilled professionals fell 11.6% in 2025, from 3.7 million to 3.3 million.
- STEM talent mobility dropped 13%, AI talent 12%, and research professionals 19%.
- The US extended its lead in highly skilled, STEM, and research talent but lost ground in AI.
- Canada fell from top-three to seventh place in talent attraction, while the UAE gained 0.8 percentage points.
- Countries leading in talent for a given technology are 17 times more likely to lead in that technology.
The big picture
The decline in global mobility of highly skilled talent, particularly in AI and research, underscores the intensifying competition for strategic expertise. As traditional hubs like Canada and the UK lose ground, emerging destinations like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are capitalizing on favorable policies and retention strategies. The data highlights a clear link between talent attraction and technology leadership, making talent strategy a critical competitiveness issue for both public and private sectors.
What we're watching
- AI Talent Shift
- Whether the US can regain its lead in AI talent attraction or if this marks a structural shift in the global technology race.
- Gulf States Rise
- The pace at which Gulf states like the UAE and Saudi Arabia can sustain their talent attraction and retention strategies.
- Talent Strategy Impact
- How nations and companies implementing BCG's 'talent trifecta' approach will perform in attracting and retaining global talent.
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