Survey Reveals: Highly Educated Migrants Showing Strong Emigration Tendencies
Research Findings: Higher Educated Individuals Among Migrant Population Tend to Express Stronger Desires for International Relocation - Migrants with advanced education levels extensively voice their plans to move abroad.
Particularly affected are industries like IT, finance, and insurance services where, between 30 to 39%, of the migrants surveyed expressed their disinterest in staying in Germany. This trend also exists in healthcare and social services, manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing.
Gallegos Torres warned, "This is a risk given the existing skills shortages." The study paints a strong correlation between educational status, income, and emigration intentions among migrants. Among the countries that attracted these aspirational migrants, rather than returning to their home countries, Switzerland, the USA, and Spain ranking at the top.
A total of 50,000 migrants were surveyed online between December 2024 and April 2025. The study authors stressed these statements were representative. Interestingly, 26% of respondents acknowledged they had already contemplated leaving, while 57% expressed their intention to live in Germany permanently.
Job satisfaction and social integration significantly reduced the likelihood of emigration among the migrants. However, experiences of discrimination, particularly in encounters with authorities or at work, significantly increased the risk of emigration.
The primary reasons for emigration included the tax burden, intricate bureaucracy, and the general economic situation. Political circumstances, personal career motivations, and experiences of discrimination followed closely in significance.
The survey pointed out the urgent need for a migration policy that is not solely focused on immigration but provides long-term residence prospects for migrants. The authors of the study advocated for streamlining and digitizing migration and administrative procedures to create a more attractive environment for qualified professionals. They highlighted the importance of removing unnecessary barriers and strengthening social integration.
Such proposals involve comprehensive de-bureaucratization, centralization, simplification, digitization, and acceleration of migration and administrative processes. Specifically, labor migration procedures should be simplified and expedited. Moreover, the recognition of foreign degrees and the visa issuance process should be made more efficient, transparent, and digital.
- Germany
- Migrants
- Emigration trends
- IT
- Finance
- Insurance services
- Switzerland
- USA
- Spain
- Integration challenges
- Proposed Solutions
- In light of the survey, it's clear that the high emigration tendencies among migrants, particularly those in IT, finance, and insurance services, pose a risk for Germany, given the existing skills shortages in these sectors.
- To address the urgent need for a migration policy, the authors of the study suggest comprehensive de-bureaucratization, centralization, simplification, digitization, and acceleration of migration and administrative processes, with a focus on streamlining labor migration procedures and improving the recognition of foreign degrees and visa issuance process.
