Thursday, August 30th, 2007
I happened to be sitting next to a young PhD engineering student who was going home for a couple of weeks to Malaysia. He was nornally based in Australia. Obvioulsy smart. Obviously talented. We talked about his future: big company or start up? Research or operational role? and so on. Then the most interesting part of the coversation. He would select where he ends up living based on the kind of society on offer: not just money or career, but quality of life, political freedoms, environmental consciousness, and attittude to young people.
I suddenly realised that in the war for talent, the choice of country is now as real an issue as the choice of company. Some people are looking very broadly and thinking equally hard about what their chosen country can offer as what their chosen company can offer. Or they can, and will, walk.