Planning to work abroad on a skilled worker visa? You’ve likely browsed government skill shortage lists, matched your experience to target occupations, and maybe even prepped your résumé. But here’s something most migrants miss:
How close or far is your current occupation from in-demand jobs abroad—based on real skills?
A groundbreaking OECD study titled “Moving Between Jobs: An Analysis of Occupation Distances and Skill Needs” (2018) offers powerful insights that can help foreign skilled workers identify the fastest and smartest pathways to high-paying jobs overseas.
What Are Occupation Skill Distances?
In simple terms, skill distance measures how much training or education you’d need to switch from your current job to a new one. The OECD study analyzed 127 occupations across 31 countries using two (02) skill types:
- Cognitive Skills – Literacy and numeracy (think: analytical thinking, data interpretation).
- Task-Based Skills – ICT usage, management, selling, self-organization, and more.
By comparing these, they could pinpoint which occupations are closer or further from each other — and how hard it is to switch between them.
Key Findings for Foreign Skilled Workers in New OCED Report
As per my analysis, there are 4 major findings in OCED moving between jobs report for foreign skilled workers:
1# Some Career Moves Require Less Effort Than Others
- ✅ If you’re moving from a mid-skill to another mid-skill job (e.g., clerk to technician), the skill gap is often small—meaning less retraining is needed.
- ❌ However, if you’re transitioning from low-skilled to high-skilled roles (e.g., factory worker to engineer), the cognitive skill gap is much larger, often requiring up to 1 full year of retraining or more.
Tip: Target “closer” jobs that still appear on skill shortage lists in your destination country.
2# ICT, Communication & Self-Management Are Key
Want to move into managerial, technical, or professional roles abroad? – You’ll likely need strong task-based skills, such as:
- ICT literacy (Excel, email, online systems)
- Communication and persuasion
- Self-organization and planning
➡️ The study shows that these are often the main bottlenecks preventing upward mobility—even if your cognitive skills are already strong.
3# High-Skilled Workers Still Need On-the-Job Training
Even if you’re already a professional (e.g., software engineer), moving up to managerial positions still requires you to build task-specific skills, like managing teams or budgeting. So while cognitive skill gaps may be small, foreign workers should prepare for:
- Workplace mentorship
- Targeted certifications (e.g., PMP, Six Sigma)
- Soft skill development
4# “Readiness to Learn” is a Game-Changer
One overlooked asset? Your attitude towards learning. The OECD study found that workers who showed a willingness to learn new things had an easier time switching jobs—even across large skill distances. It’s a critical soft skill that foreign employers look for when hiring.
What This Means for Migrating Skilled Workers?
If you’re aiming to migrate under a work visa program like the:
You must strategically choose a target job where:
- Your existing skill set closely matches the destination job
- The retraining period is minimal
- The skills are not easily automatable (like people management, problem-solving, or care work).
Real Example: Moving from Clerical to Technical Roles
The OECD report provides a skill comparison for this scenario: Clerical Support Worker → Numerical Clerk
- Cognitive Skill Gap: Moderate (about 0.8 years of retraining)
- Task-Based Skill Gap: Manageable (with basic ICT and numeracy training)
✅ A practical, achievable switch! – Now contrast that with:
Clerical Worker → Professional Engineer
- Cognitive Skill Gap: High (likely 2+ years of education)
- Task-Based Skills: Requires advanced numeracy and ICT
❌ Not an immediate move without upskilling.
What You Should Do Next?
- Map your current occupation to ISCO-08 codes (used in global labor stats).
- Use OECD’s findings to estimate how far you are from the jobs in demand in your destination country.
- Invest in targeted skills training, especially in: ICT tools, digital communication, and workplace autonomy.
- Show your readiness to learn on your CV and interviews.
- Avoid occupations at high risk of automation, even if they’re “easy to get into.”