The majority of Croatian citizens are no longer ready to leave their homeland for work

Alma Career Group, the leading group on the market of employment services in 11 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, conducted an international survey on willingness to relocate for work, revealing the attitudes and perceptions of more than 82.000 participants, of which 11.800 were from Croatia.

Although there has been a lot of talk in recent years about the relocation and departure of Croats from their homeland in search of (new) work, as many as two-thirds of respondents (64%) are not willing to move. Every fifth citizen (21%) is seriously thinking about moving, while 15% are undecided. If we look at the countries of the region, there is a slightly higher willingness to relocate there (23%).

Interestingly, in Croatia (as well as in other countries included in the research), respondents from higher salary classes are more willing to move. Every fourth respondent who currently has a salary in the upper 10% is ready to move, while only 18% are among those with the lowest 10% income.

Of those who are ready to move, more than half of the respondents (59%) are ready to move for a long term (more than a year), while one in four is ready to move only if it is for a period of several months.

More than two thirds, i.e. 68% of respondents, would move abroad for work in the profession. In contrast, respondents from the region are, to a slightly greater extent, ready to agree to any job (39%) compared to other respondents. 

Respondents from Croatia would be most motivated to move by a better salary (64%), and far below that, the possibility of career development is in second place. 

As expected, Croats would prefer to move to Austria, Germany and Switzerland. As a reason for moving to these countries, respondents cited higher incomes, a better standard of living and a better arrangement of the country itself. In general, the three most popular countries to move to in Europe are Germany, Austria and Switzerland.