15 tech talent hotspots companies should target for international hiring
1. Vietnam
Steadily, Vietnam has been grabbing the eyeballs of global tech leaders as not only a destination to catalyze their growth but also a prime destination to find exceptional tech talent. At around 20%, Vietnam has the distinction of being one of the few countries to channel the biggest share of government spending in the education sector, which towers over the global average of 14%. Vietnam has 148 University-level institutes with more than 2 million enrolments, significantly prepping up the country’s tech talent. Moreover, approximately 60% of bachelor-level degrees are awarded in computer science and engineering, making the land of the “Ascending Dragon” the hot favorite for recruiters looking for technical talents.
Further, with a 29th overall rank on EF Education First’s English Proficiency List, Vietnam stands at fifth place in Asia. Educational institutes have been teaching English as a second language, empowering the Vietnamese talent to adapt better and collaborate with global workforces.
For More Information: Vietnam Guide: All About Subsidiary, Employment And Benefits
2. Poland
Poland has a solid academic and scientific tradition, made possible by more than 100 graduate-level institutes of repute operating. Poland stands at 4th place in Europe for the number of students enrolled in higher education programs, out of which approximately 14,000 have taken up engineering courses. As the ninth largest country in Europe with 37.8 million citizens, Poland has become a hotbed of tech talent and one of Europe’s biggest hubs for global tech companies.
3. Ireland
Being the home to the European headquarters of elite tech companies like Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Indeed, Ireland is perhaps the most AI talent dense country in Europe. This investment by leading corporate houses has bolstered Ireland’s capability of producing tech talent, which organically grows out of numerous AI centers established in the country’s higher education institutes. The growth of the tech sector in Ireland isn’t exactly new. IBM, one of the first multinational tech companies to set up a presence in Ireland, showed up way back in 1956, followed by Ericsson in 1957, and then HP, Microsoft, Oracle, and other big names in the 1970s and 1980s.
Though Ireland gained prominence as a tech talent hotspot in recent years, the country’s growth in the tech sector started way earlier. IBM had established its presence in Ireland in 1956, followed in the later decades by other technological powerhouses like Ericsson, HP, Microsoft, Oracle, and a host of other big names. This fuelled the adoption of technical education in the Irish education system, and as a result, more and more companies look towards the Emerald Isle for finding exceptional tech talent.
4. Singapore
As per various reports, more than 80 of the top 100 tech firms in the world have operations in Singapore. The country stood at 6th spot in the 2017 Bloomberg Innovation Index, racing past favorites like the USA and Japan.
Starting from 2016, Singapore has set aside $ 19 billion in its scientific and technological research. The country is home to prestigious technical universities, which paved the way for Singapore’s rise as a global tech hub.
For More Information: Singapore Guide: All About Subsidiary, Employment And Benefits
5. Indonesia
One of the rising stars of South-East Asia’s tech ecosystem, Indonesia has registered tremendous growth in the tech sector. This rise has been facilitated by the Indonesian academic system’s focus on imparting tech education at the grass-root level. To support the digital economy’s dynamic growth, Indonesia has several education and training institutions that seek to build a strong talent pool for the tech and startup scene.
As per a Cambridge International report, 39% of school students wanted to take a computer science course, and 6% preferring to go for software engineering. These trends reflect the abundance of competitive tech talent in Indonesia, and the booming economy is further proof.
For More Information: 101 Guide To Employing And Officing In Indonesia
6. South Korea
For a long time, Japan, Singapore, and Germany have led the world in the innovation and engineering field. But when it comes to Robotics, no other country comes close to South Korea. It towers over the automation competition with 631 robots per 10,000, which is a staggering eight times more than the global average.
South Korea topped the Global Automation index by securing the highest overall score in a list of 25 global countries’ preparedness for automation. South Korea also ranked 4th out of 141 countries in the 2019 global competitive survey conducted by the World Economic Forum for research & development.
The country’s robust pace of automation has been achieved through both government and the private sector’s joint efforts, which have pledged to produce more than 30,000 robotics professionals by 2030. Thus, South Korea has been a favorite destination for scouting technology talent for all the tech companies.
7. Sweden
The home of early pioneers of the tech sector, Sweden ranks as the 2nd largest tech hub in Bloomberg’s global list. This Nordic country has dedicated a vast percentage of its budget to promoting and adopting science and technology subjects in schools and higher education institutes. As a result, Sweden has consistently produced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) focused specialists. Stockholm, the capital city, is home to more than 20,000 tech workers. Swedes are also famous for achieving an excellent balance between their work and life, making them stay inspired and focused on achieving excellence in innovation.
8. Bulgaria
Bulgaria has been on the radar of every tech recruiter for a long time now, with a thriving startup environment and a reserve of AI tech talent. As per many market experts, Bulgaria has an edge in the Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) talent. A report mentions that at least 80% of Bulgaria developers are senior experts, IT Architects, or C-level executives. AI-related jobs account for 3% of the total developer job market in Bulgaria, according to research by Sloth.Works.
In 2017, Bulgaria’s relatively small nation had at least 7,600 students enrolled in ICT and engineering subjects at various universities.
9. Thailand
Thailand has been a big name in the manufacturing sector. Under the country’s Vision 4.0, there has been a steady focus on grooming talent in the Internet of Things (IoT), fintech, biotech, and food tech.
The government institutes in Thailand drive tech education to equip youth with an advanced skill set. More than 24 universities provide opportunities for growth to at least 7.000 students in these emerging tech fields.
In a poll conducted in 2019, Thailand topped the list for attracting research and development and technical professionals in the entire ASEAN zone, with Malaysia at second, Indonesia at third, and Vietnam securing the fourth spot.
The Thai government relies on its talent of the Internet of things (IoT), data scientists, and IT professionals to fuel its development. That has made global headhunters take note of its tech talent abundance.
Read more: The Thailand Guide: All About Employment Laws, Taxes & Benefits
10. Uruguay
Uruguay’s tech exports stood at $1.5 Billion per year, indicating its tech talent’s thriving presence. This has made this Latin American country one of the hottest destinations for global tech hiring. This rise of tech talent can be attributed to the fact that the Uruguay government has provided free education from primary school to graduate level and dedicates 4.5% of budget spending to education.
It was one of the first countries to promote the “One Child One Laptop” policy, and currently, more than 30,000 students have access to advanced subjects like robotics and computer science. This further helped in adopting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects among college-going students.
11. Argentina
Argentina emerged as the hotbed of tech skills, securing 1st rank in a Harvard report. Argentina is also known as a hotspot of blockchain technologies, made possible with the government’s focus on promoting technical education at both school and university levels. The government has been using the latest technology-enabled products to raise efficiency in its programs and consistently organizes various workshops, events, and seminars to promote technology inclusion in business and education.
Argentina has a dedicated public fund to promote research and development, fuelling the startup ecosystem and giving rise to a globally competitive talent of developers, coders, data scientists, and product managers.
12. Malaysia
It’s no secret that out of all South-East Asian countries, Malaysia has become the region’s tech hotspot, with 80% of the population having access to the Internet. As per reports, the tech sector’s contribution to the Malaysian economy stood at 18.3%, one of the highest in the world. This familiarity with technology has organically inclined the youth to look for education and career opportunities in fields like IT, AI and IoT, and fintech.
This massive development of the technology sector didn’t happen overnight but resulted from the Malaysian government’s 20-year plan to turn around the IT and communication sector.
In 2013, the federal monarchy adopted the Malaysian education blueprint, which stressed the adoption of technology in providing a world-class education to its students. Malaysia has allocated 5.5% of its annual budget spending to the promotion of education. Owing to these stellar efforts, Malaysian academic institutes have dedicated infrastructures like state-of-the-art computer labs, fast broadband connections, and a holistic tech-enabled learning environment.
For More Information: The Malaysia Guide: Employment Laws, Taxes & Benefits
13. Ukraine
With approximately 160000 IT experts, Ukraine’s rise in the IT sector hasn’t gone unnoticed. Ukraine has been a hub of tech services and is expected to reach $10 Billion in global exports.
Kyiv’s capital city has a cluster of tech startups, made possible with the country’s robust education system. This has blessed the world with leading scientists and cyber experts and has been providing highly motivated, sharp, and employable tech talent to leading companies worldwide.
The government has established dedicated IT and cyber research centers in both school and university level institutes, which offer education for a minimal cost. Do consider Ukraine to onboard fresh faces in your global tech team.
14. Philippines
In 2018, the Philippines was one of the top ten countries in the Global Human Capital Report 2017 that are not in Western Europe and North America. The Philippines has produced tech talent to develop its domestic economy and emerged as a strong tech talent base for the global economy. Philippines achieved 55th rank in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking for global technological readiness. With English as a secondary language in its schooling system, Philippians can collaborate and align with global workforces.
For More Information: The Philippines Guide: All About Employment Laws & Benefits
15. Israel
The hub of cybersecurity startups, not only in the Middle East but the entire world, Israel also scores very high in the global development indices. With a free schooling system and low-cost higher education opportunities, Israel provides the most talented developers, coders, data scientists, and innovators in the tech field.
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