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One in four Germans has moved for work

Published: 4 Jan 13 06:08 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130104-47123.html

One in four Germans has moved at least once in order to take up a new job, with better-educated people more ready to move to chase careers than those further down the ladder, according to a new survey.

Of those with a high school certificate, 40 percent had already moved for a job at least once, the study conducted by Infas polling firm for the Bertelsmann social research foundation suggested. Half of those who have moved for their work have done so several times.

Five percent of those asked said they had moved abroad for their work - which would mean more than three million Germans had gone overseas for their career.

Most of those who moved to follow a job did so for an employed position - 60 percent were ready to move to start an open-ended contract, while less than 25 percent said they would go somewhere for a limited contract. If that contract was set to run for less than a year, just 10 percent of those would go.

The big hurdle was to leave the country, with half of those asked saying they had never considered it due to strong links to home and the burdens such a move would place on family or children.

Those who do leave for other countries are mostly academics and those earning a lot of money, the study said.

They expect to encounter improved opportunities for personal development such as learning a new language, with 75 percent citing this as a factor in their decision. Of those asked, 83 percent said they were keen to experience a new country, while 57 percent named improved career chances as an important factor.

The main problems facing those who move abroad concerned language and the lack of the social security benefits accrued in Germany.

The Local/hc

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

13:33 January 4, 2013 by chicagolive
I think being able to move has more to do with having the money to do it. It cost me €600 just to move from one side of my city to the other since our family size increased. I got a offer for a position in another state the move would cost us at minimum €3000 not including the cost of me going their paying for a hotel to have time to look at places a babysitter for the kids. Since of course the misses will want to come and look at the places also.
02:11 January 5, 2013 by Landmine
1 in 4 has moved. They have it easy. I have had to move internationally for EVERY job I got... You have to chase the money nowadays.

Time to wake up Germany!!!!!
12:15 January 5, 2013 by honeybeee
Sounds very great and right ,and one of chinese saying is "people who move to be living ,but trees don't", so that's reasonable and logical , money chasing or just for living,and seems this is a theroy not only suitable for people but also for a company ,so many successful companies' global development strategyfor them to move their business abroad , that really makes sense and make more money for them as well, especially in these europe gloomy economical days,so many euro companies just move abroad especially take good advantage in lower labor force and good development local planning,Continental AG and Schaeffler AG are both Germany economical contributors and export pollars ,especially Schaeffler Ag , for the good development planning ,they have invested more in emerging market ever since in passed 2012 whatever in east europe Hungary and Russia or expand more investments in Asia like china and India,so moving to chasing money is good theory for a company as well as a person , cheers for bravo of all good moving ~~~~
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