UK falls from favor as US professionals and investors prefer to settle in Germany

LONDON, England – The U.K. has become a less attractive destination country for migrants from the U.S. according to the International Migration Study released today by UniGroup Worldwide UTS.

U.K. LOSES POLE POSITION

Western European countries Germany, the U.K. and Switzerland, continue to top the list as destinations for U.S. residents moving abroad. However, Britain has lost the pole position to Germany as shipments from the U.S. to the U.K. have declined, despite close historic, cultural and linguistic ties between the nations.

Conversely, shipments from the U.K. to the U.S. have increased throughout 2012, meaning that the U.K. is experiencing a net loss of talent to its transatlantic neighbours.

London School of Economics Director of Migration Studies, Dr. Eiko R. Thielemann, commented on the findings; “Increasingly restrictive immigration rules for international students and highly skilled migrants, ambiguous commitments to its membership of the European Union and sluggish growth prospects are making the U.K. less attractive for foreign talent and investors.

Instead, the findings of UniGroup’s study suggest that Germany has now begun to confirm its position as Europe’s economic powerhouse in the current economic downturn, which has increased its attractiveness as a destination for economic migrants.”

OUTBOUND MIGRATION

The U.K. is the top country of origin for migration to the U.S., as it has been for six out of the past seven years.

While in 2008, 2009 and 2010 there were more moves from the U.S. to China than moves from China to the U.S., this disparity has levelled out in this year’s study.

Since releasing its first international study in 2010, UniGroup Worldwide UTS has expanded its data to include U.S. shipment trends to/from Canada, as well as intra-country data from the company’s regional headquarters in Europe and Asia. The 2012 study now includes more than 25,000 household goods moves managed by UniGroup Worldwide UTS.

“UniGroup Worldwide UTS’ international migration study offers a unique perspective into what is happening with overall migration patterns,” said Phil Pertoldi, UTS Board member. “Our report will be of interest to large corporates and investors as it offers a breakdown of the major markets from which professionals migrate to the U.K., as well as the cities and countries that provide major destinations for the talent pool leaving the country.”

2012 Top Origin Countries to the U.S.

1. United Kingdom
2. Germany
3. Canada
4. China
5. France
6. Australia
7. India
8. Japan
9. The Netherlands
10. Singapore
11. Switzerland
12. Belgium
13. South Africa
14. Brazil
15. Hong Kong

2012 Top Destination Countries from the U.S.

1. Germany
2. United Kingdom
3. Australia
4. China
5. Switzerland
6. France
7. India
8. The Netherlands
9. Singapore
10. Japan
11. Brazil
12. Chile
13. Italy
14. United Arab Emirates
15. Hong Kong

Some key trends emerged in the 2012 migration patterns for the regions around the globe:

Europe

European countries moved up on the list of top destination countries: In comparison to 2011 data, France moved to 6th from 7th, the Netherlands to 8th from 9th and Italy to 13th from 14th. France also appeared on the top origin list moving up from 5th to 7th, along with Belgium moving from 14th to 12th.

Canada

Canada jumped up the list of top origin countries to 3rd from 12th.

Asia Pacific

Japan moved up on the destination list from 11th to10th, and it also moved from 10th to 8th on the origin list in 2012. Hong Kong joined the ranking at the 15th spot on the top origin countries after not making the list in 2011, and dropped to 15th among the destination countries from 12th in 2011. In 2012, China had an equal balance of shipments to and from the U.S.

Central and South America

Brazil made the 14th spot on the top origin list, and moved up to 11th from 13th on the destination list. Chile made the top destination list at number 12.