Highly skilled migrants in global cities (SKIM): Exploring complex pathways, motivations and experiences

Jérémie Molho, Hongxia Shan (external link) , Anna Triandafyllidou, and Zhixi Zhuang

The research project seeks to understand the pathways, motivations and experiences of hypermobile skilled migrants as they navigate multiple relocations in various global cities. The project will:

1. Examine the decision-making processes of these migrants, identifying key factors like quality of life, citizenship opportunities and professional growth, while tracking the evolution of their motivations throughout their life course.
2. Assess the effectiveness of global city strategies in attracting and retaining skilled migrants. Our analysis will focus on Toronto, Paris, Istanbul, Doha, Singapore and Hong Kong.
3. Investigate the role of transnational professional sectors like the urban infrastructure and design sector, digital technology industries, and the creative economy in driving and facilitating the mobility of highly skilled migrants.
4. Analyze the personal and professional impacts of hypermobility on these migrant’s career progression, familial relationships and community ties, shedding light on the challenges and vulnerabilities they face.

1. What are the key decision-making factors that influence the migration patterns of hypermobile skilled migrants, and how do these motivations evolve over various phases of their life courses and migration journeys?
2. How effective are global cities' talent attraction and urban development strategies in influencing the migration paths of skilled migrants?
3. How do transnational professional fields affect the mobility patterns and career trajectories of hypermobile skilled migrants?
4. What are the personal and professional impacts of hypermobility on skilled migrants, and how do these experiences vary based on demographic factors like country of origin and gender?

In a rapidly evolving knowledge economy, global cities are fiercely competing to attract talent pivotal for innovation and growth. Using diverse strategies like urban marketing, new university campuses, and creative districts, cities aim to lure a diversifying profile of highly skilled migrants. These hypermobile professionals are no longer merely wealthy expats from the Global North; they now include a diverse array of talents spanning multiple professions, origins, and genders. However, this transformation in global talent mobility has exposed significant gaps in our understanding of what drives these professionals to relocate multiple times and how their experiences are shaped by these moves. Academic debates have primarily focused on the efficacy of creative city strategies but have paid less attention to the motivations involved in skilled migration decisions, as well as the vulnerabilities entailed by hypermobile lives. Our research aims to fill these gaps by scrutinizing the complex pathways and lived experiences of hypermobile professionals.

The methodology includes five initiatives:

1. Desk research will focus on global cities’ strategies to target hypermobile professionals.
2. We will map the complex career trajectories of at 1000 hypermobile professionals using LinkedIn.
3. In-depth interviews will be conducted with 60 hypermobile skilled migrants across six cities, revealing their migration motivations and experiences. 
4. Virtual focus groups will delve deeper into the benefits and challenges of hypermobility. 
5. Lastly, digital storytelling will chronicle the journeys of 12 participants, offering insights into their lived experiences.

The project commenced on April 1, 2024

Spring 2026

Social and Sciences Humanities Research Council (Insight Grant)

global cities; highly skilled migrants; mobility; urban policy; transnational professional fields