Countries where companies most favor U.S. tech workers

Companies around the world are eager to hire American tech talent, and Americans are taking action.

The United States has the second-highest number of tech workers working abroad of any country in the world, according to a new survey. Skilled Migration Report From global HR and payroll company Deel.

It sits between India, which has the largest number of foreign tech workers, and the United Kingdom, which has the third largest number.

In terms of where Americans are going, the countries that employ and relocate the most U.S. tech workers are:

Great Britain
Germany
Canada
Netherlands
Spain

From a job perspective, American technologists who have immigrated abroad are most likely to work in software development, products, and operations.

International bosses are eager to hire American tech talent from prestigious universities, startups, and venture capital firms These people also founded industry-shaping companies such as Google, said Masha Sutherlin, director of the Dealer Bureau of Immigration. Global leaders want to bring the “innovative spirit” of American tech workers into their businesses, she added.

Many U.S. tech workers work in operational roles overseas, meaning they may be hired as experts to help with international expansion efforts or as a way to import best practices from U.S. companies.

Why American tech workers are moving

Tech companies in global markets have seen smaller layoffs compared to other markets. Sutherlin noted that in the United States, this could incentivize more laid-off or precariously employed tech workers to work abroad. Generally, immigration increases after major political moments, such as the recent U.S. election and controversial Supreme Court decisions.

“Coupled with the growing digital nomad lifestyle and the abundance of digital nomad visas, this opens up a whole new world of work options,” Sutherlin said.

Highly paid American tech workers may not be able to earn elite salaries abroad. According to Levels.fyi, the median total compensation for software engineers in London is about $119,000, compared with $250,000 in San Francisco.

But Sutherlin said American workers tend to be attracted by improved lifestyle factors — think, walkable cities with lower costs of living (and perhaps favorable tax plans), so your paycheck will be higher anyway.

Immigrants to the United States are also popular

In terms of recruitment, Spain, the UK and Canada are the countries recruiting the most foreign workers from around the world in 2023, Deel said.

That said, the U.S. is the most sought-after destination for foreign tech workers, based on visa applications Deere received last year.

Highly skilled individuals such as entrepreneurs, executives and technology executives are particularly eager to work in the United States

Workers said the biggest reason they applied for visas was to obtain a new job, followed by seeking a path to citizenship, accessing preferential rates for skilled immigrants, improving their quality of life and finally reuniting with their partners.

Multinational companies’ demand for U.S. workers isn’t limited to tech jobs. According to statistics, the number of U.S. workers hired by international companies increased by 62% last year Deere’s latest global recruiting report.

Want to find your dream job? take CNBC’s new online course “How to ace your job interview” Learn what hiring managers really want, body language techniques, what to say and what not to say, and the best way to talk about salary. Use discount code NEWGRAD for 50% off from 5/1/24 to 6/30/24.