Predicting the best candidates for an employment boom can be challenging. With so much in a state of flux due to the pandemic, it's difficult to know where businesses will find success next.
While there's no way of knowing until we get there, here are a few predictions of what areas of the world have a shot at the next big employment boom as remote employment continues to dictate the future of work.
Remote Worker Factors
Before selecting a few geographic candidates, it's worth taking a minute to consider what criteria will impact things.
Internet Connection
The need for the internet is ground zero for a remote worker. Without an online connection, an employee cannot work from home — let alone anywhere else in the world.
This makes internet infrastructure one of the top factors that remote workers will consider when weighing where they may want to live.
Finances and Compliance
Another factor comes in the form of the cost of living. They must live in an area that facilitates their budget rather than drains their resources.
Compliance is another concern. Countries that are open to relocation will do well in attracting workers. Governments that operate transparently and enable rather than inhibit remote workers will also be a plus.
Incentives
The last critical factor is incentives. And this isn't a reference to workplace incentives. Those will follow remote workers wherever they go.
However, there are also countries that are creating incentives like a special work visa or even a cash bonus, if remote workers will come to their land.
Which Countries Could Lead the Employment Boom of 2022?
With the pandemic fading into the rearview mirror and a global recovery underway, 2022 has a fair chance at being a banner year for employment. Here are a few countries poised to lead the way due to their remote-work-friendly aspects.
Canada
Canada is in a sweet spot when it comes to remote work since cities like Toronto have multicultural populations and the country is close in proximity to the United States. This can make relocating simpler and fitting into a new culture easier.
Notable employee benefits in Canada include flexible working hours, private health insurance, and general parental leave policies. To top it off, Canada is also the sixth safest country in the world. American workers looking to relocate with benefits without moving to a completely new culture can fit right in without much trouble.
Scandinavian Countries
This next one isn't a single country. Nevertheless, all of the Scandinavian countries (places like Norway, Sweden, and Finland) often rank high on remote worklists.
A good portion of this comes from the fact that Nordic countries consistently report being the happiest in the world. Along with this Nordic Exceptionalism, many Scandinavian nations are progressive and open-minded. Add their well-developed infrastructure, and they offer a peaceful, happy, well-equipped place for remote workers to inhabit.
Aruba
One dark horse candidate that has to make the list is Aruba. The tiny island nation located in the Caribbean didn't have much to specifically help it stand out in the area of remote work — until late last year.
In 2020, Aruba kicked off its "One Happy Workation" incentive program. The effort aims to help remote workers live and work in Aruba — for up to 90 days.
The program targets digital nomads who tend to stay on the move. However, the friendliness of the initiative sends signals to remote workers around the world. Add the relaxing Caribbean atmosphere and there's a good chance Aruba will see a spike in workers applying for a longer work permit in the future.
Predicting the next big boom in employment is a tall order, to say the least. However, it's a fair bet that remote work will be a driving factor for most areas of the globe over the next twelve months. This means countries that are the most well equipped to attract virtual workers will be well situated to benefit the most from the rising remote work trend.
