Alarm in Germany: Two-Thirds of Employees Want to Move Abroad

A survey commissioned by career portal Indeed and conducted by the Appinio Institute was carried out in May among 1,000 employees living in Germany, aged 16 to 66, with an equal number of male and female participants.

One-third of respondents have already taken concrete steps toward finding employment abroad.

📍According to the survey, higher-income earners are particularly likely to consider working abroad. Nearly half of respondents with a net household income exceeding €6,000 per month said they had either applied for jobs abroad or were actively exploring foreign labor markets.

📍Most respondents interested in working abroad do not intend to settle permanently in their destination country. Instead, temporary stays ranging from several months to a few years are the preferred option.

📍The survey found that the primary motivation for seeking employment abroad is higher salaries, while more than half of respondents also cited the pursuit of a better quality of life.

📍More than 40 percent of participants identified lower taxes and reduced deductions as one of their main motivations for working abroad.

Which Countries Do They Want to Move To?

According to the survey, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are the most popular destinations among German workers. Although interest in the United States has declined in recent years, it remains one of the leading preferred destinations.

When focusing exclusively on younger respondents, the situation appears even more concerning: uncertainty in the labor market and the housing crisis emerged as the two most significant challenges.

📍Young people increasingly struggle to envision their future in Germany, and the desire to relocate abroad is widespread. According to the 2026 Youth Survey, 41 percent of more than 2,000 respondents aged 14 to 29 said they seriously consider living in another country in the long term. One in five has already taken concrete steps toward that goal.

📍The main factors driving young people to seek opportunities abroad are uncertainty about employment prospects and the ongoing housing crisis.

Source: DW/SÖ, BÖ