Cross-border talent is critical and increasing

This is probably not a shocker to most of you, but according to a recent immigration trends report from Envoy Global, "95% of employers reported that sourcing foreign nationals is important to their company's talent acquisition strategy" and that "four out of five companies expect foreign national headcount to either increase or remain the same."

It is a good read and inside the Envoy 2019 Immigration Trends Report is a forward from Bill Kerr, global talent expert and professor at Harvard, who recently published a book entitled "The Gift of Global Talent - How Migration Shapes Business, Economy, and Society." He tells us that by his account, immigrant talent is responsible for "one in every 3.5 inventions in America, a dramatic growth from the 1970s, when foreigners contributed one in 12 patents." He explains in the book that talented individuals migrate much more frequently than the general population, and the United States has received exceptional inflows of human capital. This foreign talent has transformed U.S. science and engineering, reshaped the economy and influenced society at large. He warns that immigration friction will impede a country's ability to further develop and maintain an innovative workforce.

If only 20% are expecting a decrease in cross-border talent mobility, then your program may need to start looking for efficiencies and more effective management both internally and with your outsourced partner relationships. As we embark on the second half of 2019, let's start planning for the inevitable!