Hey there! Let's talk about a interesting trend happening in Germany.
Considerable number of educated migrants pondering overseas relocation
Skills Shortage alone isn't enough to keep well-educated migrants in the country anymore. In fact, they're thinking about leaving, posing a significant risk to Germany's already strained talent pool. Migration researcher Katia Gallegos Torres from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) highlights this as a concerning issue.
According to a study by IAB, it's the well-educated, successful migrants who are most likely to have thoughts of emigration. Not just that, but those who speak German fluently are also flirting with the idea of moving out. These are precisely the folks Germany needs to shore up its workforce, says Torres.
Knowledge-intensive sectors like IT, finance, and insurance services are particularly sensitive to this exodus. As per the study, between 30 and 39 percent of migrants in these fields mull over the possibility of leaving Germany. Torres warns that this could aggravate the existing skills shortages.
Migrants play an essential role across various industries in Germany, including healthcare and social services, manufacturing, logistics, and hospitality. Some popular destinations for those migrants planning to leave include Switzerland, the USA, and Spain.
In the survey conducted by IAB, approximately 50,000 migrants participated online between December 2024 and April 2025. The authors emphasize that this allows for representative statements. Among the respondents, 26 percent indicated they had already considered leaving, while 57 percent expressed a desire to live in Germany permanently.
The question remains, why are these educated migrants tempted to leave? Well, dissatisfaction with the political environment, high taxes, bureaucratic hurdles, personal reasons, and lack of recognition for qualifications are all factors contributing to their consideration of emigration.
If this trend continues, Germany may lose vital skilled workers, impacting its economy, innovation, and competitiveness.
Source: ntv.de, rog/AFP
- Migration
- Immigration
- Skills Shortage
- The migration researcher from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Katia Gallegos Torres, has highlighted the growing concern that well-educated migrants in Germany might be considering leaving, due to factors like dissatisfaction with the political environment, high taxes, bureaucratic hurdles, personal reasons, and lack of recognition for qualifications, which could potentially exacerbate Germany's already critical skills shortage in sectors such as IT, finance, and insurance services, healthcare and social services, manufacturing, logistics, and hospitality.
- In the survey conducted by IAB, entitled "General-news," it was found that migration plays a significant role in various industries within Germany, but the country's employment policy, including community policy and other related initiatives, may need reevaluation in order to address the reasons that are driving educated migrants to consider leaving, to ensure continued economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness, and to retain its valuable talent pool, as migration destinations like Switzerland, the USA, and Spain become increasingly attractive alternatives.
