Americans not as Willing to Work Abroad

May 15, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - American workers are much less willing to work abroad than workers from other countries, U.S. staffing services company Kelly Services Inc. found.

Reuters reports that Kelly surveyed 115,000 people, about 14,000 from the United States, and the U.S. ranked lowest among 33 countries in terms of mobility. While two-thirds of American workers indicated they are willing to move to another city for the right job opportunity, only 37% said they would consider moving to another country for work.

Even fewer (28%) reported they would consider living in a country where they do not speak the language, according to Reuters. Family concerns was the reason most cited by workers who did not want to work abroad, while half cited language barriers.

Schooling and property ownership were other factors workers cited for being less mobile.

By contrast, 59% of global respondents said they would be willing to move abroad for the right job opportunity, Reuters said.

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