Boston Consulting Group reports that while overall international mobility among highly skilled professionals has declined sharply, the competition for AI talent remains intense, with the United States losing market share in the category for the first time in recent years.
The findings are based on data covering 221 million individuals across more than 200 destinations for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2025.
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Cross-border moves by highly skilled professionals (bachelor’s degree or higher) fell 11.6%, from 3.7 million in 2024 to 3.3 million in 2025 — a drop of roughly 430,000 people.
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Mobility among AI talent declined 12%, while STEM talent mobility dropped 13% and research talent (PhD holders) fell 19%.
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The United States increased its share of global highly skilled talent inflows by 4.0 percentage points and gained in STEM (+2.6 pp) and research talent (+1.2 pp), but lost ground in AI talent.
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The UAE attracted nearly 194,000 highly skilled workers and gained 0.8 percentage points in market share, closing in on the UK in both highly skilled and AI talent categories.
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Saudi Arabia posted the highest retention ratio (2.6x) among major destinations.
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India ranked among the top three destinations for both STEM and AI talent, driven largely by returning nonresident Indians from the US, UK, UAE, and Canada.
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Canada fell from top-three to seventh in highly skilled talent inflows, while the UK saw declines across all categories but retained top-three positioning in highly skilled, AI, and research talent.
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Spain, France, Hong Kong, Sweden, Japan, and Germany recorded notable gains in at least one talent category.
BCG notes that the broader slowdown in global talent mobility has not eased competitive pressure for specialized AI skills, with emerging destinations gaining traction against traditional leaders.