Executive relocation? Not-so-much

Executives un-willing to relocate is becoming more of an issue than ever in Canada. 

There is very little appetite for people to move locations with their companies.  The willingness and company commitment levels that employees have to go anywhere for their companies or for their own career are not what they have been in past decades. The recession taught many employees not to over invest emotionally with your company, because at the end of the day, you are just a number and family and happiness should trump that.

Even with skill shortages in Canada, it takes a very enticing package to get one to uproot their family and move out west.  Judging by the price of oil, that sell job to an individual might even become more of a challenge.

People in the east don’t want to go out west, people in B.C. don’t want to go anywhere, people in the mountains don’t want to go east and usually only begrudgingly will westerners come east to work in non-oil and gas industries.

In general terms, the executive search industry has seen that the majority of executives that opt to move out west are often executives that are in transition. This is not the post positive indicator for Canada, as it still suggests that the west is unable to attract the premium market talent (high performing talent that is still gainfully employed)

It is not just Canadian destinations that no longer resonate with employed individuals.  The U.S. is no longer the draw that it once was. With many promotions meaning moves to the U.S., executive recruiters are often getting calls from candidates who want to be proactive and possibly move before their company asks them to move geographically.

It is not just family that is driving this change, it is people that want to maintain control of their lives.  Unlike our American counterparts, pledging un-interrupted allegiance to our company's, is just not so common in Canada.

Farewell,

Mike