A willingness to work abroad has become a new normal, according to a new study by The Boston Consulting Group.

The report was published together with The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites, represented in Southeast Asia by Jobstreet, a leading job board.

According to the survey, almost 64 percent of respondents said they would be willing to go to another country for work.

The proportion of people willing to work abroad is particularly high in countries that are still developing economically, or are experiencing political instability. For instance, more than 97 percent of Pakistanis are willing to work abroad.

On the other hand, people in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom — three economies that have rebounded more convincingly — are not nearly as willing to go abroad in search of work.

In most countries, young people are more mobile than their older compatriots. One of the biggest differentials is found in the United States: Americans aged 21 to 30 are far more willing than other age groups to consider opportunities abroad.

As for Indonesia, the proportion of young people willing to work abroad is slightly higher than the general population.

In terms of occupation, people who work in engineering and technical jobs are the most likely to be willing to go abroad, with about 70 percent saying this. At the lower end of the mobility spectrum are those in the medical and social-work fields.

This could be a cause for concern in the countries facing shortages of doctors and social workers in coming years.

The United States is the destination with the highest appeal to foreign workers. Of all respondents, 42 percent said they would consider moving to the United States, while Britain and Canada were second and third at 37 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region do not generate as much interest as a possible work destinations.

Among the G20 countries, Australia topped the list (6th), followed by Japan (8th), China (12th), South Korea (16th) and India (18th). Meanwhile, Indonesia brought up the rear, coming last (19th) as a possible destination.

Although Indonesia has significant growth and economic potential, with BCG predicting the number of people in the middle and affluent class to double to 141 million by 2020, it seems that Indonesia is still not a magnet for global talent. The country is also struggling to attract members of the Indonesian diaspora to return home.

BCG Indonesia experienced this challenge firsthand. BCG pro-actively approached the Indonesian diaspora to work for BCG Indonesia in Jakarta.

But foreign professionals, especially those with families, worry about the poor standard of living, such as the quality of education and health care. The Indonesian diaspora also cites specific concerns, such as perceptions of poor job opportunities, lower levels of pay and traffic jams.

On the other hand, more than 70 percent of Indonesians are willing to go abroad to seek employment opportunities.

The most cited reasons by Indonesians are better career opportunities (61 percent), challenging oneself (57 percent) and improved salary prospects (57 percent).

These findings reinforce the view that Indonesia is likely to experience a severe talent shortage in the coming decade. The Indonesian government, together with companies that operate in Indonesia, will need to pro-actively address this issue.

For example, Indonesia will need to find ways to attract and to retain its most talented and highly skilled people.

Building attractive cities to live and work in, strengthening the education sector and ensuring an adequate public health system, are all prerequisites to successfully compete with countries that are currently “talent magnets.”

There are also major implications for companies operating in Indonesia. They will need to rethink their people strategies and overhaul their approaches to recruiting, rewarding, developing, retaining and motivating their best workers.

For instance, companies will need to take into account the growing importance of “soft” issues in attracting new foreign talent and retaining local talent.

For Indonesians the top soft factor is a good work-life balance, an attractive fixed salary, an employer’s financial stability and learning and career development.

This is quite different from soft workplace factors that would attract foreign talent to Indonesia.

For foreigners the top factor is receiving appreciation for one’s work, followed by good relationships with colleagues.

Indonesian employers will need to consider carefully both sets of factors in attracting and retaining talent.

The war for talent in Indonesia will only intensify as more foreign companies enter the country and successful local companies expand.

Hence, only those that are best prepared to build and nurture talent systematically will be able to enjoy the full opportunities of Indonesia’s future growth.

Failing that, companies operating in Indonesia could struggle to survive as the country’s talent pool contracts.

Eddy Tamboto (right) is a senior partner and managing director with BCG Jakarta. Davids Tjhin (left) is a principal with the firm. They can be contacted at tamboto.eddy@bcg.com and tjhin.davids@bcg.com, respectively.