North is a 'hotspot' for emigration

Nov 16 2009 by Sam Wood, The Journal

MORE PEOPLE are thinking of emigrating from Newcastle than almost any other city in the UK, new figures have revealed.

The state of the economy, the weather and general lifestyle concerns were all named as key reasons for those wanting to escape the North East.

An analysis of enquiries by specialist firm The Emigration Group, has revealed that Newcastle is in their top five cities for emigration.

In the past six months Newcastle is behind only Birmingham, Belfast, Manchester and Sheffield in the number of people saying they want to leave. It is ahead of large cities such as Leeds, Liverpool and London in the list.

Paul Arthur from The Emigration Group said: “Newcastle is an emigration hotspot in the UK and we’ve seen high levels of enquiries month on month. We have hundreds of enquiries every month. The reasons for this are numerous but certainly economic factors are playing their part.”

According to Paul Arthur, Australia and New Zealand haven’t been hit as hard by the recession. He said: “The economy down under has remained more robust in the face of the downturn, with the Australian economy even growing by 0.4% in the last quarter.

“This is fuelling emigration as there are still job opportunities for Brits, who maybe struggling in this country. Sectors such as manufacturing and construction are on their knees here, but Australia and New Zealand are still demanding the skills Brits have to offer. In Newcastle we have seen many emigrants with trade or manufacturing backgrounds looking to head Down Under.”

But there are other factors which drive people away from the North East, with lifestyle being a key reason, according to Mr Arthur.

He said: “I speak to everyone who we deal with and they tell me different things about why they are looking to leave.

“A move to another country is a complete life change. Many of our new clients have been motivated by the nose dive the British economy has taken, however they are also looking for a way to achieve a better work life balance, somewhere where they can enjoy more quality time and better weather!

“Certainly things are amore affordable in other parts of the world and people think they will be able to have a better quality of life away from British shores.”