Highered is a global ecosystem to connect, market, and recruit top talent from more than 500 top accredited schools in over 90 countries, and support some of the most well known corporate brands in the world attracting talent. Find out more about the latest global talent insights.

Companies compete for talent. Globalization and international trade make recruiting global talent a strategic objective for companies that seek to grow their international footprint. Drawing data from more than 300,000 students and alumni in 91 countries who actively use Highered for their job search, we have gained valuable global talent insights which will allow companies and organizations to strengthen their employer brand and stand out from the rest.

Strong interest in Financial Services/Banking and Consumer Goods sectors

Talent from top business schools demonstrated a strong interest in the Financial Services/Banking and Consumer Goods sectors, with both high volumes of position views and application clicks. Though Manufacturing ranked third, due to the relatively low conversion rate, it received fewer applications than the Consulting sector. In line with the global trend, the IT sector also gained popularity among business school talent.

Internship and Graduate Programmes attract talent

The following word cloud reveals the opportunities that talent is applying with the greatest frequency to internships and graduate management trainee programmes, especially for roles related to Finance, Marketing & Sales, Business and Analytics. For companies that seek to recruit young talent, it may be worth investing in developing or improving internship and graduate programmes in select functions.

Talent is highly mobile; UK, Netherlands, and Germany are the most popular career destinations

By mapping nationalities, school countries and applied position countries, we gain an overview of global mobility of talent. French nationals showed a strong preference in applying for jobs in the UK and Netherlands, while Chinese nationals were more interested in positions in the UK and China. Meanwhile, Netherlands, UK and Germany were the three dominating career destinations for talent studying in France, while talent at UK schools prioritized opportunities domestically.

In conclusion, highly educated talent exposed to international environments also possess a global mindset when searching for professional opportunities. Companies that seek quality, diverse talent may wish to expand their recruitment scope and support qualified candidates in gaining work permit authorization when required and appropriate.

Finding qualified talent is among recruitment’s biggest concerns. Companies that have access to a global talent pool are more prepared to take the increasingly complex talent mobility challenge. In this changing era, data-driven proactive strategic planning and decision making provide an avenue in effective talent acquisition and retention.

To learn more and/or activate your school’s Highered page, please contact kendall.brown@efmdglobal.org.

Highered talent demographics
48% female, 52% male.
45% aged between 25-34, 37% aged between 18-24, 10% aged between 35-44, 8% aged above 44.
Top talent nationalities: France 14%, China 7%, India 4%, UK 4%, Australia 4%, Portugal 3.5%, Canada 3%, Germany 3%.