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Maybe a higher portion of the population choosing to move is choosing somewhere outside of the US? Between cheap flights and better communication technology, mo

Maybe a higher portion of the population choosing to move is choosing somewhere outside of the US? Between cheap flights and better communication technology, moving from one coast to the other isn't so much more inconvenient than moving from the US to Europe, and it's definitely much more exciting.

egjerlow 10y ago
I'm not sure exactly how the rules work for US citizens,but typically a major inconvenience for non-EU citizens is getting work permits/visas. If this is trivial for US citizens I agree with you but if not I'd say that's a pretty big hurdle..
vonkow 10y ago
I'm pretty sure the kind of people who used to move from Akron to, say, Philedelphia for more opportunities before middle america's mobility and income were severely reduced by the march of progress can't quite afford to move to London in hopes of finding a better life these days.
- clevernickname 10y ago
  To add to this, in the past it may have been worthwhile to uproot your family and move across the world to "the land of opportunity." That doesn't imply in any way that today it is worthwhile to uproot your family and move across the world to "the land of less job opportunities but lower rent" on a whim. The only people that can really exploit this are tech workers that can telecommute and pocket the difference between western salaries and expat cost of living, and that's not really "finding a new life" so much as it is maximizing an already disproportionally good life situation.
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
Most folks don't even have passports, let alone money to support themselves while looking for a job. Many countries will require that you know the local language or take classes (and you might have to pay for those classes). There are usually requirements for money in the bank to supoprt yourself and your family. Here (Norway), you need to apply for immigration for each family member. Your family member may or may not have the right to work in the new country. Many have restrictions that you need to be a skilled worker and/or have a pre-existing job offer. Shipping your belongings overseas is expensive - I gave most of my stuff away, though my situation was marriage instead of job-based so I had a household waiting. Others don't have this. You still might need to pay for health insurance even though most have universal insurance. Tax returns are more of a nightmare. It takes a fair amount of planning and money to do such things, and if it all fails, or you lose your job - you just wind up back in the states. Folks from the EU can live and work in other EU countries without these sorts of restrictions and without so much formal paperwork from the employer.

egjerlow 10y ago

I'm not sure exactly how the rules work for US citizens,but typically a major inconvenience for non-EU citizens is getting work permits/visas. If this is trivial for US citizens I agree with you but if not I'd say that's a pretty big hurdle..

vonkow 10y ago

I'm pretty sure the kind of people who used to move from Akron to, say, Philedelphia for more opportunities before middle america's mobility and income were severely reduced by the march of progress can't quite afford to move to London in hopes of finding a better life these days.

clevernickname 10y ago
To add to this, in the past it may have been worthwhile to uproot your family and move across the world to "the land of opportunity." That doesn't imply in any way that today it is worthwhile to uproot your family and move across the world to "the land of less job opportunities but lower rent" on a whim. The only people that can really exploit this are tech workers that can telecommute and pocket the difference between western salaries and expat cost of living, and that's not really "finding a new life" so much as it is maximizing an already disproportionally good life situation.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

Most folks don't even have passports, let alone money to support themselves while looking for a job. Many countries will require that you know the local language or take classes (and you might have to pay for those classes). There are usually requirements for money in the bank to supoprt yourself and your family. Here (Norway), you need to apply for immigration for each family member. Your family member may or may not have the right to work in the new country. Many have restrictions that you need to be a skilled worker and/or have a pre-existing job offer. Shipping your belongings overseas is expensive - I gave most of my stuff away, though my situation was marriage instead of job-based so I had a household waiting. Others don't have this. You still might need to pay for health insurance even though most have universal insurance. Tax returns are more of a nightmare. It takes a fair amount of planning and money to do such things, and if it all fails, or you lose your job - you just wind up back in the states. Folks from the EU can live and work in other EU countries without these sorts of restrictions and without so much formal paperwork from the employer.