Australians like to leave their wide brown land to work overseas, yet some foreign workers think the grass here is greener.

Global management firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) says Australian jobseekers are more likely than those in most countries to go overseas to develop their careers.

The United States is the most favoured foreign work destination for Australian jobseekers, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France.

But the survey also found that Sydney was the fourth most appealing city in the world in which to work, after London, New York and Paris.

Australia was the seventh most popular choice as a country in which to work.

The countries with the highest proportion of jobseekers willing to move to Australia for work were Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, France and the Philippines.

The findings were revealed in a survey of more than 200,000 jobseekers by BCG and The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites.

The leader of BCG's Organisation and People practice in Australia, Brad Noakes, said the survey showed that Australian businesses face a very high level of international competition for talent and skills.

"Workers here will be comparing your employment offer with others from any number of countries," Mr Noakes said on Wednesday.

"But the flip side of the story is that Australia is seen by local workers and by those abroad as a great place to work and develop a career."

The survey found 83 per cent of the 365 Australian respondents had either already been overseas or were willing to move overseas for work, compared to the global average of 64 per cent.

In contrast, less than 50 per cent of respondents in both the US and UK were willing to move overseas.

Australia ranked fifth among 34 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for willingness to work abroad.

Australia was 16th among 70 countries surveyed.

Pakistan topped the list, with 97 per cent of respondents willing to work abroad.

FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN JOBSEEKERS

* United States, 38 pct of respondents

* United Kingdom, 37 pct

* Canada, 36 pct

* Germany, 33 pct

* France, 26 pct

Note: respondents could nominate more than one country

Source: Boston Consulting Group