Written by Andrea Frith

Telemigration – employees sitting in one county and working in offices in another.

The rapid onset of the Covid19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many employees are working. Working from home has given flexibility, it has also proven that it doesn`t matter how many miles there are between the employee and the office, work continues. This has escalated and now proves that more roles are able to be performed from anywhere in the world.  Telemigration is increasing with the increased use of teleworking and has already made an impact on the international recruitment market.

The economic benefit could potentially be a game-changer with it no longer being necessary to force its employees to go into the office. Huge savings can be made on-premises, canteens, facilities etc. The cost savings that can be achieved of transferring a position to a county where in some cases labour can be 30 times less expensive is considerable. This is a potential game-changer as approximately 37% of jobs are tele workable in Europe.

The landscape and profile of the quality of candidates that are now included in teleworking has also changed and includes jobs that typically require a high level of qualification and skill set. Engineers, Accountants, Architects and Programmers are now part of this revolution. Highly qualified profiles will begin to find they are now in direct competition with candidates from emerging countries.

The onset of the Telemigration could potentially have an impact on the locations that employee chooses to live and the necessity to live in or near (traditional commuter belts) major cities will disappear. Senior Managers and Executives will prefer to settle in rural areas and enjoy a quieter life and a better standard of living. People will no longer need to live in big cities. This demetropolisation will fuel the economies into the small and medium-sized towns however it could have a negative effect on the major cities.

This change in our economies and societies does not necessarily need to be seen as a threat. It will open a new way of recruiting and may be seen as an opportunity for expansion and growth.