Germans emigrated for a better life

For the first time, the Institute for Demographic Studies has investigated who leaves Germany and why. The study clearly shows that it is not the disappointed Germans who turn their backs on Germany.

The average German immigrant is under 40 years of age, successful in his profession, and has a university degree. This is the result of a representative study regarding those leaving Germany and those returning home, conducted by the Institute of Demographic Studies in Berlin (BB). According to this study, some 180,000 Germans leave for another country each year as 130,000 return to Germany again.

A large portion of respondents leave for professional reasons and earn better income in the selected country, highlighted by research “German Emigration and Remigration Panel” in co-operation with the University of Duisburg-Essen. On average, employees at a full rate within a year earn about 1200 Euros more than in Germany. “This transfer often involves the subsequent step of career”, says Andreas Ette of the BB. A second reason is given the life - style of the chosen country to emigrate. But there are many others who move for the sake of a profession, a partner, or a partner. Those who emigrated from Germany are on average at the age of 36.6. This age group is nearly ten years younger than the average population age in Germany. Researchers find that staying in another country is usually timed.

“are removed from overqualified”

Most of the 180,000 immigration people, 76 percent of them, are academics. “Emigration is a privilege of overqualified”, the study says. But not only qualified ones benefit from moving abroad. Especially do highly educated and underqualified women benefit from migration. Their income increases on average. Given the fact that mainly academic migrants abroad, researchers in their study recommend funding programmes with targets set for people with lower level of education.

The Germany's favourite migration country in the last ten years of about 200,000 has been Switzerland, followed by the US with 127,000, Austria with 108,000 and Great Britain with 82,000. Since the 1980s, the number of German immigrants has steadily increased, researchers say. Men and women emigrate almost the same but lead “a classic family model”, where men's career plays a stronger role. Women often work again only after returning to Germany.

Repressive polls have asked 10,000 German-born people between the ages of 20 and 70 who, from June 2017 and June 2018, have either been abroad or returned from another country in Germany. / DW