Is the world ready for invasion of the digital nomads?

Both companies and countries need to adapt their policies to accommodate and attract this new breed of worker.

A new reality of technology-based jobs, autonomy and independence is upon us, giving rise to a new type of employee — the “digital nomad”— who is  challenging the way we think about jobs and pay.  

Digital nomads — by definition, workers who relocate to another country because their job, being technology-mediated, allows them the flexibility to do so — are not a new tribe. In fact, they existed in their thousands before COVID-19. The difference to the post-pandemic dynamic is that now the decision to relocate is driven by the employee, not the employer. The pandemic period has also served as a reminder of the costs as well as benefits of remote work. 

Digital nomads are also not expats. Expats work for a multinational company, report (and get paid) by a subsidiary of the firm operating in the same country. The situation of a nomad is very different: they may…