LLYC explores Human Mobility as a catalyst for growth and opportunity

Large-scale human migration has always reshaped societies at a speed that challenges governments, cities, and businesses. Today, it remains one of the most powerful engines of economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness in the 21st century. LLYC’s report, The Next Mindset: Human Mobility, examines this phenomenon and invites companies and public institutions to view these movements as an opportunity, not a source of uncertainty.

This edition incorporates key findings by AI Radar, an innovative index that analyzes 1,440 responses generated by four state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models to map how these technologies perceive, interpret, and project the economic impact of migration across 12 countries in the Americas and Europe. Their conclusions converge: mobility is a powerful productive force. It not only fills vacancies but also revitalizes industries, rejuvenates the workforce, and enhances the innovation potential.

“Each migratory flow, each journey, reshapes economies, redraws geographies, and strengthens talent complementarities. This creates a map of opportunities for those who learn to read a world in motion,” says Luis Miguel Peña, Partner and Europe CEO at LLYC. “The real competitive advantage lies in our ability to interpret these large movements. When someone moves, economic, social, and cultural transformations are set in motion, rewriting how markets operate.”

Human mobility as an economic driver

The report highlights the positive effects of migration around the world, using three country examples to illustrate this impact:

• Economic engine: In Spain, immigration has contributed 80% of economic growth over the past 15 years. The European Central Bank notes that the rise in the foreign working-age population has been one of the main drivers of eurozone growth between 2023 and 2025.
• Source of innovation: Over 46% of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. were founded by migrants or their children.
• Productive inclusion: In countries like Peru, every sol invested in services for migrants generates 2.6 soles in fiscal return, demonstrating that diversity is a catalyst for growth.

The analysis also highlights that mobility is powering a new era of expansion across multiple sectors:

• Financial services and banking: Driven by remittances, which now exceed foreign investment in countries like Mexico and Colombia. New fintech models, multi-currency accounts, and international insurance products are emerging, making inclusion a profitable business model.
• Agribusiness and export markets: Mobility broadens consumption patterns, while migrant talent strengthens rural value chains and enhances food security.
• Tourism and business travel: Heritage, medical, and academic tourism are growing as powerful economic and emotional bridges.
• Global education and talent: Universities in Spain and Mexico are leading the attraction of international students, consolidating education as a driver of upward mobility and innovation.
• Healthcare: Migration accelerates the adoption of digital care models. Here, mobility becomes a source of social innovation.
• Urban development and construction: The arrival of migrants revitalizes real estate markets. In Spain, more than half of construction companies acknowledge that immigration could help address labor shortages.
• Culture and media: Diversity fuels creative industries, with intercultural productions achieving nearly double the engagement.
• Climate change and resilience: Climate-driven displacement will shape the 21st century. Companies that understand this dynamic will position themselves as allies of adaptation and sustainability.

Measuring consensus with AI

The report features AI Radar, a new Deep Learning tool that examines how artificial intelligence constructs its narratives around migration and the economy. The findings, drawn from 1,440 responses generated by four state-of-the-art models, are striking:

• High consensus: The models demonstrated a 69.2% agreement in assessments related to migration, which is considered surprisingly high for such a sensitive topic.
• Economic lens: 99% of narratives are framed through economic and labor dynamics, underscoring migration’s opportunity dimension.
• Winning sectors: AI consistently identifies technology, agriculture, tourism, and financial services as the sectors that benefit most from human mobility.

At the same time, the analysis notes challenges related to labor markets and pressure on public services, particularly in several Latin American countries.

Access the full report here.