Millennials Willing To Relocate To Advance Careers

The majority of Millennials are willing to relocate for a job, and postpone life milestones to live and work in desired locations, finds a new survey.

When it comes to where Millennials want to live and work, New York tops their list of U.S. dream cities, followed by Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco. Outside of the U.S., London is the most desired city for workers aged 18-35, followed by Paris, Sydney, Tokyo and Berlin.

Millennials
Click image to enlarge. (PRNewsFoto/Graebel)

Indeed, 84 percent of Millennials are willing to relocate for a job, and 82 percent believe they will be required to relocate if they want to advance their careers, according to a new survey of workers aged 18-35 by Wakefield Research for Graebel, a provider of corporate relocation services for Global 100 and Fortune 500 firms.

Millennials are willing to make significant sacrifices in order to live and work in their dream cities in the U.S. and abroad, according to the survey. More than 80 percent would be willing to take a pay cut if necessary to relocate to a dream destination; 71 percent would be willing to postpone marriage and 72 percent would be willing to postpone having children.

“Twenty years ago, a much smaller percentage of the workforce—typically C-suite executives—expected to need to relocate for career advancement,” said Bill Graebel, president and CEO of Graebel. “Now we’re seeing a significant shift toward younger employees relocating, sometimes internationally, and it’s changing how companies think about talent acquisition and retention, and how employees map their lives and careers. Millennials embrace the notion of relocating as a catalyst for achieving career goals.”

Survey findings include:

  • Millennials on the Move: Millennials have a global mindset when it comes to their careers. Eighty-four percent are willing to relocate for a job, 72 percent domestically and 41 percent internationally.
  • Career Building through Mobility: Eighty-two percent of Millennials believe eventual relocation will be necessary for career advancement, and 83 percent say they would give preference to a prospective employee who has worked abroad, if they were in charge of hiring.
  • Motivated by Money: When it comes to relocation, Millennials are more motivated by money than by experience. Sixty-five percent would move to a foreign country for higher income, compared to 35 percent who would relocate for the experience.
  • Life Milestones at Home and Abroad: In order to live in their dream destination, 72 percent of childless Millennials would delay having kids and 71 percent of single respondents would postpone getting married. However, a large percentage of Millennials would be willing to build a life while working overseas—43 percent would buy a home, 47 percent would buy a car, 41 percent would get a pet and 34 percent would get married and have children.
  • Independent-Minded: Although traditionally, employers not only pay for relocation expenses but also make the arrangements, 78 percent of Millennials would rather make all the travel and housing decisions themselves using a company stipend. This suggests Millennials are more willing to use web-based tools, social media and smartphones to be more independent transferees.

The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 nationally representative U.S. adults aged 18-35, between September 26 and September 30, 2016, using an email invitation and online survey.