In our previous post, we talked about the dawn of “remote work immigration,” in which work reaches a level of mobility we’ve never seen before. It doesn’t mean you may say goodbye to the traditional office space tomorrow, but there’s little doubt that new and genuine possibilities for working remotely – anywhere in the world – is closer than one could guess.
We spoke about how lifestyle choices in terms of weather could be valued at an all-time high while the level of taxation a country or state faces will play a significant role as well.
Still, there are many key milestones and checkpoints even beyond those in our view that will accelerate the new times of remote work immigration. Six of them are critical to this changing landscape.
What Needs To Happen Next?
#1: Defeating COVID-19
While your state or the country may be trending positively as far as infection rates, we’re still going to deal with COVID-19 globally for quite some time. That’s going to have a significant impact on mobility. Thinking optimistically, let’s jump forward to a safer point in time where COVID is minimized as a threat.
#2: Having An Official Position On Remote Work
Next, the concepts of remote work need to be truly established as consistent policies among companies that continue to grapple with the question of full-time/remote/hybrid. We’re not there on a grand scale yet. Some companies have figured it out. Some companies haven’t.
#3: Handling Migration And Integration For High-Value Jobs
Then a process for remote work immigration has to be normalized.
We might see a different kind of migration pattern than we’ve ever seen before, which takes some adjustment on many levels.
Right now, our focus on immigration seems to be on people who are low-skilled and can’t typically speak the language of the country but are moving away from dangerous and harmful situations.
We may also see an opposite form of migration: A highly-skilled neurosurgeon who can operate using advanced technology from anywhere in the world. If one is living in Santa Monica, California and wants to maintain the beach life but is tired of paying a fortune for a small home, perhaps they may explore getting more for their money in another country while still doing the same work thanks to technology.
We haven’t seen intense discussion of this latter form of migration yet, but there is mild chatter from certain countries beginning to bring up this issue. We estimate that within the next 2-3 years, we could see a major development along these lines, posing a challenge to countries with relatively high taxation. That’s right. We’re not that far away from this pattern. Especially since, at the moment, high-value jobs can be done not just in a particular location, but remotely and the cost of doing it remotely is close to zero.
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Talman Advantage #6: The Technical Expertise Clients Highly Respect
How many account managers within a recruiting firm have technical PhDs and MSs? Not many. Yet, you’ll find several of them at Roy Talman & Associates, which our clients in the technological space have come to highly respect over the course of 30+ years. No wonder they respond quickly in real time. And when we suggest the creation of a new position just for you, they seriously consider our suggestion at a minimum and frequently call us to discuss further.
See yourself represented from a higher place right from the very beginning. Talk to Talman first.
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#4: The State Of The Housing Market
We also have to talk about housing. After all, a substantial percentage of the standard of living is housing. This gives us two components within this section to consider:
1) The cost of housing, which we hear about mainly in California, New York, and other high cost-of-living areas.
2) The taxation that comes with real estate. We hear about this in Illinois, New Jersey and other states. We’re bound to see unusual numbers in states such as Florida that have no income tax and relatively low taxation all around. Florida real estate taxes, for example, are a fraction of what it is in Illinois.
With both of these factors, desirable locations should indeed become more valuable, but there might also be competition in the sense of how dynamic the market tends to be.
#5: Which Way Political Winds Are Blowing
In areas where a higher tax rate is passed on to the wealthy, we may find society to start to restructure. Suppose the “One Percenters” love the weather, architecture and interactive culture in, say, Austin, Texas. In that case, we could see heavier migration to these areas – especially if it’s an area where income taxes are low, real estate taxes are low and regulation is still relatively low. Suppose you could buy a much bigger house in Texas versus what you can buy in California with advantages for weather, culture and taxation. In that case, we’re not just talking about the heavier migration of workers but the heavier migration of entire companies. That’s a lot of variables shifting! Not to mention a potential shift of workers from a traditionally “blue” state to a traditionally “red” state, which has monumental implications politically for how we vote and who we elect.
#6: The Continued Evolution Of Technology
Machine learning technology and other innovations have to keep up with and stay ahead of what companies and remote workers demand to ensure superior productivity and efficiency are upheld.
We have to see ever-increasing bandwidth and improved connectivity so that a remote worker doesn’t feel disconnected from a place where the “real” work is happening. If it’s not seamless communication, many other factors for successful remote work immigration will feel fairly insignificant in a hurry.
If the pattern holds, we might see more restructuring and more migration in the next 10 years than we saw in the previous 50 years. It makes it imperative to connect with one of the only sources you can count on to bring a stabilizing presence and perspective – Roy Talman & Associates. We don’t just understand which direction the technical space is moving. We know where all the best talent is moving as well. Nationally and internationally. Don’t guess about the most vital trends to your business and career. Know them. Which you precisely will when you Talk To Talman First.