(MENAFN- Live Mint) While overall international mobility among highly skilled professionals is slowing, India has strengthened its position, recording notable gains in key talent categories and solidifying its status as one of the world's rising talent hubs.

Global talent migration has declined 8.5% year-over-year - the first drop since 2020 - but India has emerged as a notable exception to this trend, according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report.

In its new report titled“Global Talent Mobility Is Slowing and Shifting”, BCG reported that the global movement of highly skilled workers has fallen for the first time since 2020, with international mobility dropping 8.5% YoY - 220,000 fewer cross-border career moves.

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However, the geography of global talent is shifting sharply, and India is defying the global slump.

Why does this matter to India?

While economies such as Canada, the UK and wider Europe see major declines due to tighter migration policies and weak hiring, India is rising across all tracked talent categories, making it one of the most resilient and future-ready talent engines worldwide, according to the BCG report.

Here's what the report said

India's global standing in talent is strengthening steadily. The country has gained 1.9 percentage points in its share of global AI professionals and 1.4 percentage points in STEM talent. It now ranks within the top 10 worldwide across every major talent category tracked.

Supported by one of the world's largest educated populations and a strong presence in leading international universities, India is well-placed for sustained long-term growth.

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International mobility among highly skilled professionals fell 8.5% YoY - about 220,000 fewer people relocating for long-term work. Decline driven by geopolitical uncertainty, weaker hiring, and tighter migration policies, especially in Canada and the UK.

Shifting global talent hubs

US remains the leading magnet, increasing its share by 2.4pp overall, and 3.3pp among STEM talent. The UAE attracted ~178,000 highly skilled professionals in 2025, now the top three for STEM, AI, and highly skilled talent.

As global competition for high-skill talent intensifies, the findings underscore the need for countries and companies alike to rethink talent attraction and retention strategies.

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The report highlights that nations with proactive hiring ecosystems, flexible migration policies and strong education pipelines will be best positioned to secure long-term economic advantage.

India's continued rise across AI, STEM and highly skilled talent categories signals a pivotal moment in the global talent landscape, with far-reaching implications for employers, policymakers and the wider economy.

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