Most workers willing to move for a job: Manpower

PRESSURE ON GOVERNNMENTS

Workers' willingness to move can put added pressure on employers who already face shortages of skilled workers in areas like engineering. A separate survey found 31 percent of employers are concerned about the impact on the labor force from people's migration.

That is leading to pressure on some governments to slow the exodus of workers, though it is a much bigger issue in some countries than in others.

Majorities of employers in Peru, Argentina and South Africa, as well as Taiwan and India, said they were worried about talent leaving. Fewer than 15 percent said so in Ireland, Japan, Switzerland or the Netherlands. Only 1 percent of Chinese employers are worried about a national 'brain drain.'

Governments also need to manage internal migration, Manpower said. A third of India's population will soon live in cities, for example, versus a quarter a generation ago.

In many countries, such as Costa Rica, migrants are becoming a more powerful political force.

"They will be a bigger part of the discussion," Joerres said. "You can't have those people just walk out, because it will leave a major hole in that economy."

(Editing by Braden Reddall)