Usually he flies through the night. Then out of a soup of nationalities and ethnicities, Icelanders get creativity. The world over, businesses are honing their competitive edge and plugging skill shortages by importing foreigners. Some countries, too, are supporting the global trade in talented people, believing that a steady influx of the world's best and brightest can bolster economic growth. Talent attraction is the foundation of everything else we do.
Some countries still resist letting good jobs go to foreigners.
Capital moves freely around the world, but labor does not. A German company doesn't need a permit from the German government to invest a billion dollars in the U.S., but if it wishes to employ a single American in Munich, bureaucrats roll into action. Protecting industries is no longer fashionable. Protecting workers still is. Under pressure from employers, however, this resistance is fading.