What does the future look like for digital nomads?

One of the most extreme versions of remote work is the digital nomad - the employee or entrepreneur who is always traveling and never tied to a single work location. As many continue to emphasize that remote work is here to stay, will these typically well educated, highly skilled, digitally savvy, locationally-independent members of the workforce become a bigger slice of your mobility volume? 

We have glanced back at the history on digital nomads and have been watching their continued rise while noting some of the challenges that come with having them on your workforce, like compensation. As an increasing number of companies have moved into the "work-from-anywhere" arena, it is opening up the option to more people to consider taking their show on the road now that their employer options have increased and there is greater flexibility available to them.

As talent has gotten more challenging to attract and retain, many countries have opened their avenues to work by authorizing work visa options (digital nomad visas, remote work visas and freelancer visas) to attract them. For many countries, these nomads become a source of revenue. Besides the costs associated for obtaining and renewing visas, the countries benefit from each nomads’ day-to-day spending on rent, cars, meals, and everything else they need to live and explore the location. 

So where are people wanting to go to live and work? This list of the top 15 countries for digital nomads was put together by Club Med. They evaluated the cost of living, safety, average internet speed, presence of nature and wellness spots, as well as the number of both relaxing and adventurous activities in each country. Here was their list:

Recently Airbnb revealed the trending destinations for remote workers in 2022. A key takeaway from Airbnb’s trending destinations report was that around one in five guests used the platform to work remotely while travelling last year, and the numbers only look set to increase beyond that. Here were the "Trending destinations for long-term stays on Airbnb in 2022":

1. Lisbon, Portugal
2. Dubai, UAE
3. Bristol, UK
4. Birmingham, UK
5. Manchester, UK
6. Cape Town, South Africa
7. Glasgow, UK
8. Liverpool, UK
9. Seoul, South Korea
10. Los Angeles, California, USA

These next batch of stats are from Global Business Leaders Mag. There were 35 million digital nomads in 2021. Their average age is 32 years old. 50% say that finding Wi-Fi is their biggest challenge. A proper work-life balance was the biggest "pro". (If that is the case, here are the TOP 10 European countries for work-life balance) The biggest cons were that traveling is expensive and exhausting. 70% work 40 hours per week or fewer and 33% work more than 40 hours per week. (not sure but that does add up to more than 100%?) WTH do these people do? Writer, blogger, social media manager, tour guide, video editor, website tester, data entry, programming, voice over/ads, and graphic designers. 80% stay in one place for 3 to 9 months and 66% stay in one place between 3 to 6 months. And in the end, according to this analysis, this is the best time to become a digital nomad! From their point of view, working in the office is so 2019!