Does gender matter? Gender talent migration and its implication for talent management

Abstract

PurposeThe growing trends in talent migration, which in the extreme lead to brain drain, in step with an increasing female participation in labor markets and migration flows, set challenges for both business and governments managing these processes. In this vein, it is proposed that macro talent management (MTM) is effective in managing the above-mentioned macro-level issues. The purpose of this paper is to identify and compare the determinants of talent migration with respect to gender and to analyze the role that talent management (TM) practices may play in the migration of diverse talent groups (male and female) within the Russian context.Design/methodology/approachAnticipating the possible differences in talent migration determinants between men and women and using data from 557 Russian graduates, considered to be high-potential talents, the authors found that these determinants converge.FindingsMale and female talent migration intentions in Russia are influenced by the same industry and individual push factors as well as family reasons, confirming that women are acting as independent economic migrants rather than tied movers. Moreover, the authors identified that talents in our sample evaluate highly the possibility of TM practices to change their migration intentions, and that female talents are more sensitive and responsive in this regard. Therefore, the TM system in the emerging economies' context, in particular Russia, is important for increasing the share of women in the workforce, in particular in leadership positions.Originality/valueThe study's results are important as they provide evidence on the gendered dimension of talent migration in particular in terms of the gendered assessment of talent migration determinants. Moreover, the study shows the positive role of TM in managing talent flows at the country level, in particular the ability of TM practices to attract talents to local organizations and, hence, retain them in a country.