To be worried about emigration

[YourOpenNavyAnt]

Our neighbours, 2 highly skilled Indian immigrants, who have been in the UK for 8 years are emigrating to another country. He’ll get an 50% pay increase for doing the same job in another country, plus a lower housing costs. According to him, a sizeable cohort of his friends, also want to leave the UK.

I have two cousins who have spent £10000s for their children to study for a masters in another country to make it easier for them gain the right to work.

A colleague’s children (both junior doctors) have both migrated to Australia, with no plans to return. Another colleague’s daughter (a dentist) has moved to New Zealand for 6 months, to determine if she wants to settle permanently.

I have a large circle Aussie friends and acquaintances from my time living in London and most (8-10 people) have either returned or are planning to return. These are people who’ve lived here for 10+ years and have British citizenship but they view the UK as being in terminal decline.

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Is this country really that shit?

Yes and the Tories did so well with it didn’t they? 🙄 FFS

Voters in this country simply can’t understand the connection between public services and taxes - they want everything for nothing which is part of the reason why the country feels shit. My dh works closely with Scandinavian countries and they get that high taxes mean good services. We’re too fucking selfish here.

If you have the means particularly if young why would you not move? We aren't that competitive any more, salaries are low & COL is high.

It doesn’t matter if previous generations try and tell them about 12% interest rates on mortgages, or about winter of discontent, everyone wants to look clever on their house purchase and drive new cars.

The high interest rates of today aren't that dissimilar to the highs of the past in terms of impact on incomes because mortgages are much bigger.

I don't think it's anything to worry about, after recessions comes growth and change which is a good thing of you can ride the storm.

We never recovered from 08 & haven't had much growth since.

The demographics are a huge problem because we can't afford the NHS in its current form & the state pension. More younger people moving abroad exacerbates that.

Voters in this country simply can’t understand the connection between public services and taxes - they want everything for nothing which is part of the reason why the country feels shit.

Yes & rather than acknowledge this they blame others.

My friend is looking to emigrate from Australia because he thinks it is in terminal decline. ‘Practically a communist state’.

In my opinion, emigration of skilled workers creates and exacerbates skills gaps in this country. It also reduces the volume of net contributors therefore it could have some impact on the economy. The UK needs more net contributors and skilled workers.

We are also considering emigrating and both myself and DH are British Citizens. I feel wages are low, stagnant, and taxes are too high for what we get in return. I wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes or this level of tax if services were better. Quality of life in the UK is ok, but it could be a lot better. Our high streets are deprived and littered with charity shops, takeaways and vape shops. There are also a lot of drunk and disorderly people on drugs. Our local park is ok, but at times very unkempt. Train prices into London are extortionate. Food and energy is high.

In my opinion, emigration of skilled workers creates and exacerbates skills gaps in this country. It also reduces the volume of net contributors therefore it could have some impact on the economy. The UK needs more net contributors and skilled workers.

This is true

I feel wages are low, stagnant, and taxes are too high for what we get in return. I wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes or this level of tax if services were better. Quality of life in the UK is ok, but it could be a lot better.

It's unlikely to get better for some time. We have low growth, lack of investment & an ageing population so high taxes are inevitable despite what Reform says.

Yes I agree my cousins in their 20s not a single one has chosen to set up their life here. 1 has gone to work in Canada (EV mechanic gone to Tesla), 2 (GPs) gone to Australia, 2 have moved to Dubai (IT and another in Sales)..if I look at my wider circle the list goes on. I have several lawyer friends who go out to Dubai/Doha to earn tax free for several years then some do return but bring their wealth buying property here/rental properties.

I’d say it’s well known in the groups I mix in that you won’t make your fortune here, if you want to live here you need to go generally to the Middle East and bring your wealth back. With Canada and Australia I’ve found people seem to permanently leave but they do return from the Middle East.

We really have never recovered from 08, we had a ‘false’ growth post Covid for 2021 and some of 2022. It was catch up.

And that's the issue but low interest rates masked a lot of it, nowhere to hide anymore.

I agree with all of this. Everything just seems so shabby and yet overpriced/overtaxed. And don’t get me started on wage inflation for those of us on “average” wages. I am leaving the UK to another European country early next year.

I don’t blame him. Given these idiots putting flags up all over the place! It’s absolutely shameful.

We have a lot of doctors as neighbours and one couple has said they’re moving back to Singapore once they’ve completed their training.

I’m definitely encouraging my kids to think of university options in Europe.

I think we’ve had a period of profound uncertainty about Brexit then the Tories burned through PMs. It feels like everyone is burned out, tired, and angry.

We made consumerism quite central to our society compared to other places. We’re lacking a strong social fabric to fall on when times are tougher.

There are lots of factors at play.
One of them being the constant doom and gloom perpetuated by the media. They prefer to focus on immigration rather than discuss the idea of taxing privately owned companies which other countries have nationalised. Examples include water companies. They should be nationalised. How on earth you can justify a water company being privately owned, whereby customers have no choice whatsoever as to who they buy their water from is mind boggling. At least with say a bank, I can chose to stop using them and chose another provider, I am well and truly stuck with the water company.
We live in a society which is neither one thing nor the other. We have private completion yet people demand high levels of state intervention such as benefits. This current government tried to clamp down on free hand outs, such as the winter fuel allowance, yet were shouted down. His oats for these free hand outs? The working population.
Places such as Dubai encourage fit, young people to go and work there and they reward them well. They do not however support them when they become old and need state help.

Im EU citizen/british husband/kids born in the UK and we are taking steps to move due to harassment and hate incidents myself and our kids are targeted with,nearly every other week.

What is mind blowing is that 52k today is the equivalent of 28k in the early 00s.

Even child benefit hasn't kept up with inflation & it was universal at one point.

Sorry I meant to say wage stagnation not inflation lol

Well yes, because she ramped up spending at the same time. Madness. Spending needs to be cut drastically. I'd start with the untouchables of welfare, pension triple lock and NHS.

You are right to be concerned OP. For us, bringing pensions into IHT was the final nail in the coffin. We are a family of five tax paying professionals and by Christmas only one will still be in the UK.

Labour is creating uncertainty for middle and higher earners and generally making, or threatening to make, their lives worse, so it is tempting to leave if you have the opportunity.

Covid and Ukraine have had a big impact on cost of living in lots of countries so not many places are having a marvellous time at the moment.