Despite the recession, many freelance professionals and IT contractors want to work abroad to advance their career, according to Hydrogen, the international staffing firm.
They conducted a study of 3,155 middle to senior professionals and discovered that a massive 94% are either working abroad currently or wish to do so in the future. And just under two-thirds of the respondents (60%) said that the economic crisis had no impact on their desire to work abroad.
The majority of those surveyed would prefer temporary periods overseas as opposed to permanent relocation. Most respondents showed willingness for an overseas placement of up to 5 years.
More women than men in this demographic bracket are currently working abroad although men are more inclined to actively look for overseas work.
Most of the top professionals prefer to work in Australia and the US but this is not necessarily where the demand lies. For example, there is currently an abundance of work available in the Middle East and Asia.
The most popular way to find work abroad was via a recruitment agency whilst head hunters accounted for 16% of overseas job offers.
Many professionals who wish to work abroad have carried out online research about relocating overseas but only 15% had spoken to a recruitment agency. The chief executive of Hydrogen, Tim Smeaton, said that surfing the net cannot provide the specialist advice that agencies and head hunters can. He also added that the internet will not facilitate real job opportunities.
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