Survey Finds Most Willing to Relocate

According to a press release, 78% of respondents in 27 labor markets said they would consider relocating. More than one-third (36.9%) of the 31,574 people surveyed said they would be willing to relocate anywhere in the world for work, while one-fifth (19.8%) reported they would relocate anywhere within their current home country and 18.5% said they would only move within a few hours of their current home.

Monetary gain was found to be the primary driver of willingness to move for work, with 81.8% of respondents citing increased pay as the most popular reason, according to the release. Respondents from 21 out of the 27 labor markets surveyed indicated that increased pay was the primary reason to consider relocating for work.

Career advancement and better employment opportunities were also cited as top reasons to move for work at 73.6% and 72.7%, respectively.

More than four in ten (40.5%) respondents who are willing to relocate indicated they would be willing to do so permanently. Relocating for one to three years was the next most popular response.

People under age 30 were the most receptive to moving for work, whether short or long term, or on a permanent basis. Men were more inclined to move for longer periods of time (four to six years or longer) while women preferred assignments varying from one to three years and less than six months.

Internationally, the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain were the countries respondents most cited as preferred relocation destinations for work. Within regions, the U.S. was the preferred destination for people who live in the Americas; China topped the list in Asia Pacific; and the UK was preferred by those in the EMEA region.

Those respondents who had less than a high school education were least willing to consider moving for work at 62.2%, while those who had attained a university degree, a master’s degree, or a doctoral degree were considerably more inclined to relocate at 85%, 87.4%, and 86.1%, respectively. Just over seven in 10 respondents holding a technical or vocational certification indicated a willingness to move for work.

Internationally, 42.9% of respondents reported they have moved for work in the past, with people in Asia Pacific and EMEA regions more likely to have relocated for jobs. Those under 30 (40.9%) were most likely to have moved for work in the past than older respondents.

Men were more likely than women (55.5% vs 44.5%) to have previously moved for work, and not surprisingly, those with no marital ties and no children at home more often responded that they had moved for work.

Just over half (51%) of single people indicated they had previously relocated for employment opportunities, followed by 39.7% of married respondents. Similarly, 67.8% of people who said they had relocated previously also indicated they had no children home at the time.

Those respondents with less than a high school education were less likely to have relocated for work in the past than those with university degrees. Those holding master's degrees were most likely to have relocated previously

From the respondents who indicated they have previously relocated for a job, the highest percentage (38.4%) indicated they stayed closer to home, moving within 160 km (100 miles). Almost 27% indicated they had moved between 160 km (100 miles) and 1609 km (1000 miles), and 34.9% indicated they moved to a different country.

Manpower released its Relocating for Work Survey in conjunction with its 2008 Borderless Workforce Survey which revealed 31% of employers worldwide are concerned about the impact on the labor market from talent leaving their country to go and work in another country (See Worldwide Talent Shortage Creating Fierce Competition ).