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Copyright © 2011 Hydrogen Group plc. All rights reserved — www.hydrogengroup.com

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This is the second annual Global Professionals on the Move Report- commissioned by Hydrogen and conducted by a consultancyproject team from ESCP Europe. This research analyses theexperience, attitudes, motivations and priorities of highly qualified,high earning, professionals with regard to working abroad.

A key theme to emerge from the 2011 research is globalisation,“the world is getting smaller” with advances in technology andcommunication playing their part. The top professionals surveyedperceive and plan their careers in truly global terms, their topreasons for relocating being an interest in new experiences, greaterearning potential and improved career opportunities. This was anotable change from last year, when financial motivations werefurther down the list, suggesting the economic downturn has beenmore influential this year. Personal incentives aside, companieshave higher international expectations, with 63 percent ofrespondents saying international experience was important to theircompany - particularly in the energy, pharmaceutical and humanresource sectors.

The 2011 Hydrogen report will doubtless be viewed against thebackdrop of the financial crisis and ongoing economic uncertaintyaffecting all parts of the world. It is on this point that the 2011 reportis perhaps most telling, for while a lack of jobs is perceived to be thetop barrier to securing a position overseas, the reality is thatprofessional jobs are often readily available, with candidates morelikely to secure international roles faster than attaining similarroles at home.

Working overseas received a great endorsement from participantswho had already relocated, with 98 percent saying they wouldrecommend working abroad to others and 76 percent of thoseaway for at least three years saying they would stay workingoverseas for longer.

While family remained the top reason cited by all respondents fornot seeking a job overseas, missing friends and family was not anissue for those who made the move, thanks to the ease andaccessibility of the internet and social media - 71 percent of them

saying that social media helped ease homesickness.Interestingly, the research finds that a high proportion of thisdemographic (40 percent) stated home as where they currently areas opposed to where they were from. Virtually all, if they had to do itagain, would choose to go abroad. Although, however settled theymay be in their life abroad, seeking permanent residency remains astep too far, with few respondents reporting to be keen on the idea.

Insofar as this report offers unique insights into the mindset of highflying professionals, an analysis of this year’s data on gendergrounds is telling in the context of the ongoing debate surroundingthe lack of women in board level positions. That only 20 percent ofrespondents were women reflects the extent to which menoutnumber women in working overseas. Moreover, the women whowere working abroad were far more likely than men to be single andnot have children. On the premise that the greater the internationalexperience the better, it was also revealing that women workingabroad tend not to go as far afield as men - thereby potentiallylimiting themselves further.

The survey was compiled from the responses of 2,637professionals from 85 different countries with qualifications of abachelor degree or above. With the majority of respondents (91percent) already working abroad or looking to do so, the surveyoffers unique insights into the mindset of career drivenprofessionals and the importance of international experience withintheir overall skill set.

This research confirms working overseas to be an extremelypositive experience, with the vast majority of respondents reportingthat it improved their career prospects, salaries, living conditionsand personal development. Hydrogen Group’s own employeeshave experienced these benefits, as Hydrogen not only focuses onsourcing specialist international roles for candidates, but alsopractice it internally, moving 40 of their own people around theirglobal offices in the last 18 months.

Hydrogen Group

March 2011

Executive summary

Questions asked...

— Would you consider relocating abroad?

— Is international experience important in your company?

— How important is international experience to your career growth?

— Where would you most like to relocate to?

— What are your reasons for relocating?

— Has the economic climate influenced your decision to work abroad?

— What are the key barriers to finding a job?

— How long did it take to find a job overseas?

— How did you find your current job?

— Has relocating been a positive experience?

— What do you miss?

— Has the use of social media helped ease homesickness whilst overseas?

The gender divide

Appendix

Contents

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As in last year’s research, professionals are highly motivated towork abroad. The overwhelming majority (91 percent) of oursurvey’s respondents said they were already developing theircareer internationally or were willing to do so in the future.

Would you consider relocating abroad? Is international experience important in your company?

A key finding of this research was the extent to which internationalexperience is important not just to individuals, but to companies aswell, in terms of the overall skill sets they are seeking in their mid-and senior-level leaders. 63 percent of respondents saidinternational experience was important or very important totheir company.

Tim Smeaton, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrogen Group, saysevery business has the potential to operate on a global scale andneeds appropriately experienced people to deliver against theambitions of their organisations: “The world has changed andcorporate growth is predominantly driven by emerging economies.The need for businesses to take advantage of these opportunitiesdemands they operate globally far more than ever before.

One of the key challenges they now face is hiring the right people tomake international working succeed. It stands to reason that thosewith overseas experience in more senior roles are looked on morefavourably and can command higher salaries than those without. Inmany locations the available talent pool does not include the skillsets currently demanded.”

“Opportunities internationally arebecoming increasingly desirableas a result of a shift in focus fromWest to East and the careeradvancement that can be offered. A number of companies nowconsider international tenure to bea prerequisite for Director levelroles and above.

“As a result, there is morecompetition for seniorinternational posts and theselection criteria is becomingmore stringent.”

Dan Church, Hydrogen ClientServices Director

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Professionals working in the sectors of energy,clinical research, human resources and financerate international experience more highly thantheir counterparts working in other sectors.Dr Claudia Jonczyk, Associate Professor ofOrganisational Behaviour at ESCP Europe,comments that in the case of HR, for example,international experience is essential. “How areyou to recruit, evaluate and attract people in anincreasingly global workplace if you don’t knowthe different rules of engagement in respectivenational job markets? It’s essential to understandthat newcomers (from abroad) need to learn todeal with cultural differences and understandwhat makes them feel welcome and stayengaged,” she says.

“Energy is a typical sector where the value chainof the business itself is often spread over multiplecountries, if not continents. To get a sense of thecore business, you have to get out there andlive abroad.”

Rory Ferguson, Hydrogen Darwin Park Director,specialises in placing energy professionals:“Global mobility is considered an integral part ofthe job for most energy professionals. Thosechoosing to work in the energy sector expect toadvance their career and develop their skills byworking on projects all over the world.Subsequently, as recruiters looking to fulfilagainst our candidate and client requirements,international experience, or at least a willingnessto travel, features highly in our criteria when

finding the best people, simply because clientsprefer to hire those who have worked onnumerous international projects.”

International mobility is also consideredimportant within the pharmaceutical sector, asStephanie Murtagh, Manager HydrogenPharmaceutical Practice, explains: “Frequentlyclinical research projects operate on a globalscale. Candidates with experience of workingwith international teams are essential to theseclients. Our candidates know that by gainingoverseas experience not only will they be in highdemand but they will also give themselvesgreater opportunity to work with specialists fromacross the world. For our clients, hiring from aglobal talent pool provides a wealth ofexperience and cultural diversity.”

How important is international experienceto your career growth?

"Globalisation of businessmeans that professionallyspeaking, the environment isvery similar wherever youwork in the world. Yes, it is anupheaval, but it's also anenlightening experience; onewhich provides you with agreater understanding of yourstrengths and weaknesses,and which allows you todevelop as a person and as aprofessional."

Lyndsey McAuley - UK to UAE

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Echoing the findings of last year’s report, English speakingcountries tend to be the most popular with professionals. One of thegrowing trends this year is the increase in interest of relocating toemerging countries such as China and Brazil.

Top relocation destinations

“The Middle East, Africa, Georgia,South America, I’ve wanted to workabroad since the first day I joined anoil company. To make it happen Icontacted overseas agencies, includingHydrogen, so they could introduce meto international companies.

“I love working in new places andmeeting people from different cultures.You learn to integrate and understanddiverse cultures as well as finding out as much as possible about oursmall world.”

Michele Bonanni – Italy to Iraq

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The reasons impacting any individual’s decisionto work abroad are certain to be complex, butthere was a notable difference in the findings thisyear relating to why professionals want a joboverseas. While ‘new experiences’ remains themost cited reason (as was the case in 2010),greater earning potential has jumped up the listthis year and is the second biggest reason,compared to taking fourth place last year.

The global downturn continues to makeheadlines. Respondents were asked specificquestions about the influence of the currenteconomic climate on their desire to work abroad.

Reasons for relocating

Has the economic climate influenced thedecision to work abroad?

But, for the second year running this specificdemographic of highly qualified, high earningprofessionals did not find the economic climate tobe a major factor in taking the decision to workabroad. In fact most respondents said it had notinfluenced their willingness to move abroad. Theproportion of those who considered the economicclimate to have “increased a lot” their willingnessto relocate has increased, but only slightly, fromten percent in 2010 to 14 percent this year.

So, while this demographic is perhaps becomingmore swayed by the ability to command highersalaries elsewhere, the economic downturn is stillnot in itself a driver to seeking a job abroad.

It is perhaps not surprising, given the dominance of the economicdownturn on media agendas, that respondents interested inworking abroad said their plans had been hampered by a lack ofjobs, with 44 percent citing insufficient job opportunities as thebiggest barrier. However, elsewhere in the survey, thoseprofessionals already abroad were asked about the length of theirjob search. The majority stated they had found a job withinsix months, with nearly four in ten quickly securing a post -within less than a month, and 59 percent securing their positionwithin two months.

Chief Technical Officer for IIR Middle East, Jonathan Wiggans, wason a plane to Dubai from the UK within two months of deciding tomove to a permanent international position, after a career whichhad seen him working away for two months at a time:“I saw the advert at the beginning of September 2008, had a faceto face interview in London, a telephone interview with Dubai,and landed there on November 3rd.”

“It’s understandable in the currentclimate that people think there arefewer jobs. What we are seeing dropoff on a local level is being balancedout as the number of globalopportunities increases.

“It’s more a case of perception thanreality, as 59% of candidates surveyedin the report said they had secured aposition within two months from thestart of their search. The findings alsosupport the CV to interview ratio beingmuch better for candidates whenfinding a role overseas than whenlooking at home.”

Tim Smeaton, Hydrogen GroupChief Executive Officer

Length of time taken in overseas job search

What are the key barriers to finding a job?

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As was the case in last year’s report, using a recruitment consultantwas found to be the first route to a job overseas, according torespondents who had been successful in their search. Those keento work abroad that haven’t yet made the move were most likely tohave done internet research around the idea. This is in line with lastyear’s findings, suggesting once again that a more formalised,structured approach to an international job search is the bestmeans of securing a positive outcome.

How did you find your current job?

"Hydrogen was excellent atkeeping in touch, checkingeverything was going wellwith the job and the move."

Jonathan Wiggans - UK to UAE

"I returned to the UK in lateDecember 2010 and startedlooking for work in January.Within two weeks Hydrogenhad secured me a position."

Liane Glass -South Africa to UK

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Our survey asked professionals already abroad aboutimprovements to living conditions, salary, career prospects andpersonal development, and the responses were consistentlyupbeat. Virtually all (98 percent) of the 756 professionals alreadyworking abroad said relocating had been a positive experience forthem – so much so that just under a quarter (23 percent) said theyintended to stay longer than originally intended.

When asked about their next move, less than a fifth of respondentssaid they wanted to return to their home country, with 38 percentsaying they were keen to find a job in another country.

Tim Smeaton, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrogen Group, says:“We’re generally finding the candidates we place and moveoverseas stay there longer than originally anticipated. Lower taxrates, better perceived quality of life, and a buoyant employmentmarket can make it a far less stressful environment. This benefitsour clients equally by creating a more settled working population,thus removing the need for the generous expat schemes that usedto exist and are rapidly becoming harder to find.

The news that over three quarters of survey respondents havebeen away for at least three years, and almost all movers say theywould recommend working abroad to others, will surely bewelcomed by global businesses as much as it is by us, as aspecialist global recruiter.”

Virtually all (98 percent) respondents said they would recommendworking abroad to others. Similarly, 93 percent reported that theywould go abroad again if given the chance. But for all thesatisfaction with working abroad – and staying there longer –

permanent residency remains a step too far for most, with onlyone in ten respondents abroad saying they would seek achange of status.

Commenting on these findings, Dr Claudia Jonczyk from ESCPEurope says that while it is increasingly common for professionalsto study, live and work abroad for some time, the typical patternremains to return home after 10 years. “The reasons for this arenumerous as well as very individual,” she explains. “Deep downthe majority expect, or at least plan, to finally return home, whileat the same time they would not miss their overseas experiencefor anything.”

Liane Glass first arrived in the UK from South Africa in 2009. She’snow enjoying her second placement made by Hydrogen, a rollingthree month contract as a financial accountant in the corporatefinance division of Lloyds TSB in London. She always planned towork internationally and, while completing her three yeartraineeship at home, began preparations for a career overseas byapplying for the relevant visas and other paperwork and contactingrecruitment agencies.

“Moving was quite a daunting experience but also exciting, as Iwas setting up a new life. It’s definitely benefited my career,especially in terms of everything I’m learning. I don’t feel I’mmissing out on anything by not being at home, it’s far better to havethe international experience on my CV.

I’ve had the chance to work in interesting environments withpeople from all over the world. I've travelled through Europe andreally enjoy living in a vibrant city like London. At the moment Ihaven’t made any long term decisions as I still have so much togain from working in the UK, and have lots of other countries to visit,” she says.

Has relocating been a positive experience?

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However fulfilling their lifeoverseas may be, professionalsworking abroad will alwaysmiss something about home,and for most it’s family, whichtopped the ‘miss list’ for sevenin ten of professionals alreadyabroad. Family was likewise thetop reason cited againstrelocating. However, in terms ofadapting to new cultures andmaking new friends,respondents’ experiences wereagain positive.

The survey included a specificquestion for those alreadyworking abroad abouthomesickness, which was aproblem for only 6 percent ofprofessionals. The survey alsoasked where they consideredhome, with a surprisingly largenumber (40 percent) ofprofessionals saying home iswhere they currently are asopposed to where theirfamilies, or country of originwere. A further 14 percentclearly see themselves as trueglobal citizens, describinghome as “anywhere inthe world.”

Social media has been one of the great revolutions of our times,radically changing the way we communicate with each other,personally and professionally. It is a major force in helping peoplebridge the miles, and for professionals working abroad it is clearly avital tool to keeping in touch. While the availability of social mediawas not a significant influence on respondents’ decision to goabroad, once there it was a major factor in alleviatinghomesickness with 71 percent saying the likes of Skype andFacebook helped make the transition easier, though only 23percent said social media connectivity was an influence they tookinto consideration before they left.

What do you miss? Has the use of social media/instant messaginghelped ease homesickness whilst overseas?

“I’ve made lots of friends anddone more exciting things thanif I’d stayed at home. I’m notruling out moving back butwon’t consider it for anotheryear. Its been a challenge -settling into a new office,missing family and friends,and adapting to different waysof doing things – but Iwouldn’t have missed it.”

Jacqueline Leigh – UK toAustralia

"Technology makes it so easy. We cansee each other and talk all the timethrough Facebook, sharing picturesand comments." Jonathan Wiggans - UK to UAE

16%1% 3%

29%51%3%

18%79%

partnerwidow(er)

divorcedmarried

singlechildren over 18 yrs

children under 18 yrsno children

20%femaleabroad

8%1%3%65%23%14%40%46%

partnerwidow(er)divorcedmarriedsinglechildren over 18 yrschildren under 18 yrsno children

80%abroad

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Moreover, double the percentage of women working abroad weresingle, whereas the opposite was the case for men, who were morelikely to be married. Women working abroad also did not, in themain, have children. Men, on the other hand, were just as likely tohave children, as not. A gender breakdown of respondents’ plansfor the future was similarly revealing, with double the percentage ofwomen (32 percent) stating they wanted to go back to their homecountry, compared to just 15 percent of men.

Given the fact that the more international one's experience thebetter, it was also revealing that women working abroad tended notto travel as far afield as men – by limiting their development further.

Dr Claudia Jonczyk from ESCP Europe, believes the findingsresonate with what is already known about the root causes of toofew women in top positions. “It has been repeatedly shown thatwomen face particular hurdles on the way to the top,” she explains.“To name a few – a lack of mentoring career sponsorship, lack ofaccess to influential (male) networks, as well as the number ofchildren. All have been shown to negatively impact women’s careeradvancement and are hurdles that men simply do not have to face.”

One of the biggest, and most emotive, employment issues is thelack of women in board level positions.

Emma Halls, Hydrogen ANZ Director comments, “In the last sixmonths we have experienced a significant increase in the numberof clients wanting to interview high profile, board l evel women.”

The survey offers fresh insight into factors affecting how few womenmake it to the top in business – namely that women are not gettingas much international experience as men, thereby hindering theircareer progression.

One of the key findings of the survey was the extent to whichprofessionals and companies value international experience andview it as vital to a successful career. Indeed, the correlationbetween international experience and career progression isgenerally accepted in most companies today. That only 20 percentof respondents working abroad were women shows the extent towhich women are not benefiting from this important aspect ofcareer experience. Women do express a desire to relocate almostas much as men, 41 percent of women, compared to 46 percent ofmen, but the reality of working abroad is still realised by many moremen than women.

She continues: “When it comes to international assignments, the‘trailing female spouse’ is still the norm, the gender-basedassumption being that the man’s career will take precedence.”

Aside from gender based assumptions and barriers, it remains afact that working abroad is highly satisfying and fulfilling for women– and that the job opportunities are there to be had. Nine in tenwomen said relocating had been a positive experience, hadaccelerated their personal development and that they’d go abroadagain; every woman (100 percent) surveyed said they wouldrecommend the experience to others.

One woman enjoying this experience is Lyndsey McAuley, anAssociate with the legal firm Clifford Chance in Dubai. After makingthe decision to move abroad and contacting Law Professionals,Hydrogen Group’s specialist legal recruitment business, she wasoffered interviews with three firms within three weeks.

“Professionally I have a lot more responsibility. I have developed farmore in the last six months as a lawyer than the previous two yearsin London and I’m undertaking a much broader role, both in termsof geography and practice area.”

Lyndsey’s contract in Dubai is a permanent one, and she is flexiblewith regards to how long she will remain in the country. She wouldconsider another international assignment on her departure from

Dubai – possibly in Italy. She feels professional women are missingout by not considering an international position – even if it meansmoving far from home.

“I think there are misconceptions of the Middle East and Asia.People perceive that there’s an enormous cultural clash, but theglobalisation of business means that professionally speaking, theenvironment is very similar wherever you work. Yes, it is anupheaval, but it’s also enlightening, providing you with a greaterunderstanding of your strengths and weaknesses, allowing fordevelopment as a person and as a professional.”

Interestingly, women’s satisfaction ratings trailed men’s in only twoareas. While 84 percent of men said moving abroad had improvedtheir salary, only 74 percent of women reported the same. Similarly,78 percent of men said their living conditions had improved, whilethat was the case for only 68 percent of women.

Simon Walker, Hydrogen Asia Regional Managing Director, saysdiversity is a key issue among his clients: “From partnering withmany large banking groups in Asia we’ve found diversity hasbecome a key theme when finding them the best talent. They wantto close the diversity gaps existing in their workplace to accuratelyreflect the globalisation of their business. Many of our clients nowapproach us to help them find highly qualified professionals ofdifferent genders, races and ages.”

The gender divide

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The Hydrogen Global Professionals on the Move Report 2011 isbased on the results of a major online survey that ran duringDecember 2010/January 2011 and attracted 2,637 responsesfrom professionals of 85 different nationalities working inprofessional services, industry and commerce, financial servicesand the public sector.

The online survey was distributed using business social networkingsites, databases from Hydrogen Group, alumni of ESCP Europe,and the University of Vienna.

The survey was conducted by a consultancy project team fromESCP Europe and examined the opportunities and motivations ofmid- and senior-level professionals to working abroad.

The home country of the majority of respondents (35 percent) wasthe United Kingdom, with the remaining coming from a fairly evenspread of countries in Europe, Australasia, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

The respondents were mainly mid-senior level professionals and amajority earned in excess of USD76,000 per annum, the averagebeing USD100,000 per annum. Virtually all held qualifications of abachelor degree or above.

Of the 2,637 respondents, 81 percent were over the age of 30 and87 percent had 5 or more years’ work experience.

The gender breakdown of the sample was 20 percent female and80 percent male.

756 respondents were already abroad and of the 594 of those thatrevealed their gender, 117 were female and 477 were male.

Gross annual income level (USD)

Age

Working experience

Education

Hydrogen Group and ESCP Europe

Hydrogen Group is a global specialist recruitment group whichfocuses on finding and building relationships with high-qualityspecialist candidates that our clients have difficulty sourcingthemselves. Hydrogen recruits across a number of global specialistpractice areas including technology, legal, HR, pharmaceutical,finance, trading & advisory, and engineering.

www.hydrogengroup.com

ESCP Europe is one of the oldest business schools in the world.Founded in Paris in 1819, the School provides postgraduate andexecutive-level business education at five European campuses(Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid and Turin), and globally via a broadnetwork of academic partners.

www.escpeurope.eu

Appendix

for more information about this report please contact Alex Bigland alexandrabigland@hydrogengroup.com or +44 (0)20 7090 7739