Top 10 countries attracting international tech talent

Switzerland

Switzerland is another highly popular crossroads for tech talent, buoyed by main IT hubs Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne. Capital Bern is also quickly becoming a growing force, especially in the medtech, biotech, fintech, and cleantech industries, as the city has a longstanding reputation as being a hub for experts in healthcare, life sciences, and environmental sustainability. The city also has a growing base of tech startups, coming up right behind Zurich and Geneva as a top destination in Switzerland for startups, according to Startup Blink. Entrepreneurs benefit from the city’s co-working spaces, incubators, and accelerators, including Startup Hub Bern, Impact Hub Bern, and Innovationsdorf Bern, where they can access networks, mentors, and funding opportunities.

Average annual salary (Bern): US$103,715

Estimated monthly living costs (Bern): US$3,611

Sweden

Sweden comes in at No. 6 on Relocate.me’s list, predominantly thanks to the vibrant tech scene in Stockholm, which is a major tech center in Europe, and also the country’s financial center, an industry that increasingly relies on technology for daily operations. Stockholm’s tech hub can be found in Kista, a northern suburb, and is considered Europe’s largest IT cluster. It’s also a strong hub for startups, boasting the second most unicorns per capita in the world, after Silicon Valley, and is home to the once-startups Spotify and Klarna. For tech workers making the move to Stockholm, they will also benefit from Sweden’s social supports, such as free education, free childcare, and other safety nets in place to support citizens.

Average annual salary (Stockholm): US$51,162

Estimated monthly living costs (Stockholm): US$2,727

United States

The US boasts a number of vibrant tech hubs, most notably Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York. As the capital city of the United States, Washington, D.C., is home to a strong government industry, but there’s also been an influx of tech companies flocking to the city. According to CompTIA’s Tech Jobs Report, Washington topped the list compared to other metro areas in terms of tech job postings. The city is also home to several large universities and colleges, which means there’s a strong talent pool to hire from year after year. There’s a large draw for cybersecurity professionals, software developers, and healthtech workers — companies in the area include Boeing, ShieldAI, PwC, Salesforce, IBM, and Intuit.

Average annual salary (Washington): US$99,461

Estimated monthly living costs (Washington): US$4,583

Australia

Australia comes in at No. 8 on Relocate.me’s list, thanks to vibrant innovation centers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. The capital city Canberra has also been attracting software vendors, such as Tower Software and RuleBurst, to work with the many government customers in the area. There’s even plans for a billion-dollar data hub in Canberra to support private and government institutions in the space, defense, and education industries. In 2019, the Canberra Cyber Security Innovation Node was formed to support these industries further. The city has a reputation for innovation and has strong support from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) — there are even plans to unveil a Cyber, Space, and Advanced Technology hub in the coming years.

Average annual salary (Canberra): US$50,244

Estimated monthly living costs (Canberra): US$2,474

Denmark

Denmark ranks second on the 2023 World Happiness Report, and a study from Boston Consulting Group and Digital Hub Denmark found that digital workers in Denmark report high satisfaction rates, both with the workplace culture in Denmark and the financial support. Denmark also boasts one of the highest employment rates in Denmark, and according to the OECD Better Life Index, only 1.1% of Danish workers report working long hours, while the average worker reports spending up to 16 hours per day on “leisure and personal care.” Employees in Denmark typically work 37-hour weeks, with a standard 5 weeks of PTO each year, allowing for a healthy work-life balance. Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Zendesk, and SAP have innovation and development hubs located in Denmark. While Aalborg is a leading tech center in Denmark, the country’s main IT action all takes place in Copenhagen.

Average annual salary (Copenhagen): US$48,650

Estimated monthly living costs (Copenhagen): US$2,250

Belgium

Belgium rounds out the top 10, and while Antwerp has become a tech hub, Brussels is the main attraction for tech talent. The capital city is home to several STEM universities and research institutes such as the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR), the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB), and the Belgium Academy Council of Applied Sciences (BACAS). In 2021, the European Digital Expertise Hub (EDIH), part of SussAIn Brussels, was established to promote AI and other emerging technologies in Brussels. The plan is to offer free guidance to Brussels businesses that are interested in embarking on digital transformation, with a €4 million budget that is co-financed by the European Commission and the Brussels Region. Brussels also has a growing startup scene, with startups such as FiscalNote, Izix, CentralApp, Drawbotics, and AppTweak setting up shop in the city.

Average annual salary (Brussels): US$47,422

Estimated monthly living costs (Brussels): US$2,400