Which countries hired the most expats in 2023?

Spain has emerged as the top employer of skilled migrants in 2023 as the number of expats worldwide went up, according to a new analysis.

Deel found that 27% of newly added, full-time employees using its platform in 2023 were expats — compared to 25% in 2022.

Skilled workers are looking into countries and visas that offer economic mobility, preferential tax treatment, better quality of life, and lower cost of living, among others, said the report.

Across markets, Spain, Great Britain, and Canada were the top countries by expat count in 2023.

In Spain, the top countries of origin of skilled migrant workers were Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Poland, according to the report, which noted that four of them were from the European Union.

"This is somewhat unsurprising, as workers from elsewhere in the EU don't require visas or immigration support to take advantage of Spain's rich culture and temperate climate," the report read.

The top job groups in Spain include Sales, Software Development, and Product, which are also the top groups in Great Britain and Canada.

^{Source: Deel}

Top skilled migrant countries of origin

Meanwhile, India became the top skilled migrant country of origin in 2023, according to the report.

Skilled migrants from India travelled to Canada, United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States.

Coming after India is the United States, whose skilled migrants went to Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, and Spain.

"Given their huge populations — 1.4 billion and 330 million respectively — it should come as no surprise that India and the United States top our countries of origin list, by total number of workers abroad," the report read.

Deel noted that the US skilled migrants are in demand overseas due to a massive pool of talent who have relevant experience attractive to global employers.

"Operations make up the third most popular job group leaving the US; these people are likely being hired as specialists to help with international expansion efforts, and/or as a way to import best practices from US-based companies," the report read.

^{Source: Deel}