Leveraging Immigration as a Benefit Part 1: Attracting Talent

During 2023 thus far, particularly in response to the uncertain economic situation across the world, employers have begun looking more closely at their retention policies and shifting the focus of their mobility programs to attract, retain and develop the best and brightest talent. An eye toward longevity can help employers mitigate workforce losses and avoid future labor shortages.

The first of this three-part blog series focuses on ways employers can attract talent using various immigration options.

Attracting talent through highly skilled or highly educated pathways

Following layoffs across various industries, many employers continue to explore creative approaches to accessing the skills they need. As discussed in Fragomen's Worldwide Immigration Trends Report, growing flexible worker policies will be critical to retaining and rebuilding the global workforce.

To attract highly skilled employees, many governments offer highly skilled and highly educated talent pathways. These pathways are implemented as an effort by foreign governments to bridge the gap between experience and education, allowing employers to gain access to new markets and additional talent pools.

Examples of highly skilled and highly educated talent pathways

In response to the global shortage of highly skilled and educated professionals, employers are looking to new markets to source additional talent. Governments are aligning with this trend by offering attractive pathways to recruit highly skilled and talented professionals.

Singapore is a great example of a country that, while recognizing the need to support the local workforce, is implementing talent attraction schemes to support companies in attracting the best and brightest. Some measures include:

• • The One Pass: Launched in 2023, the Singaporean Government introduced a new Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass aimed at top talent across multiple sectors based within Singapore. The purpose of the ONE Pass is to attract talent by offering key immigration benefits such as a longer validity period (five years), dependent benefits, and additional flexibility in holding multiple roles.
  • Employment Pass: To increase the presence of technology-based talent in Singapore, the Singapore government is now offering a five-year employment pass to those who qualify and meet the needs of specific tech occupations on the COMPASS Shortage Occupation List.

Other countries, including the UAE, Canada, Israel, Finland, Australia and the UK continue to leverage immigration to attract highly skilled and talented individuals.

Attracting talent through graduate and student entry options

Many countries are now looking towards foreign students as prime candidates for expanding the pool of eligible talent. Employers can now shift their focus to retaining foreign students who have worked during their studies and can continue working post-graduation to meet their goals of building a highly skilled workforce.

Spain is an excellent example, with recent legal changes making it easier for foreign students to work during and after their studies. These changes include:

• • Automatic work permits available for highly scoring students within the European Qualifications Framework, those participating in employment training, and training at educational institutions.
  • The law also allows for longer work hours for students, making them more available to potential long-term employers, and allows students to work almost full-time jobs. This benefits employers by allowing potential future employees to build key skills while they continue their studies.
  • Switching from a student visa to a work permit has become easier, making the student permit a more attractive option in Spain.

Employers are expected to continue their trend of focusing on varied, new talent pools to combat the potential impacts of the uncertain global economy well beyond the conclusion of 2023.

Considerations for employers

It is important to consider the following key questions when building a mobility strategy to attract new talent:

• • What are the costs around key attraction strategies?
  • What are key target jurisdictions?
  • What skills need to be targeted as part of a proactive talent attraction plan?
  • Are there any risks with leveraging these strategies?

As a first step, connecting with your Immigration Program Manager or legal partner to discuss potential strategies for identifying visa options that attract critical talent pools is recommended.

Need to know more?

Working with experienced immigration professionals can help you navigate these challenging and complex matters, as they can provide valuable guidance and support throughout the process, helping you make informed decisions that support your business goals. Always remaining fully compliant during a reduction in workforce exercise is critical.

Fragomen’s unique Immigration Program Management group supports and delivers strategic solutions for clients. For questions, please contact Senior Associate and Immigration Program Manager Liat Zudkewich at [email protected]. Stay tuned for the second installment in this blog series, which will focus on talent retention, to be released in the coming weeks.

This blog was published on September 19, 2023, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.