India ranks number one among all countries in respect of both the inflow and outflow of expatriate executives, according to a survey of global firms conducted by leading financial journal The Economist.
The survey found that 16 per cent of respondents felt there is a likelihood of expatriates going to India, while 21 per cent said there is a likelihood of expatriate executives coming from the country. The exercise was conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
"India is the next big global market and a stint in any emerging market is being seen as a good career move," EIU managing editor Paul Lewis said in a telepresence interaction from London.
Companies are increasingly preferring an executive from an emerging market economy like India, rather than having a Westerner, to work in another emerging market such as Africa.
This is why there is a higher expectation of expatriate executives emerging out of India, he said.
India was ranked third behind Western Europe and North America and the first among individual countries when the respondents were asked about their assessments about which countries expatriates come from or go to.
"India is the big emerging market. A stint here will ensure a high responsibility being thrust on the executive in the future and a better growth as well," Lewis said.
