New Compilation Volume | 11.05.2021Consequences of International Mobility on Life Courses

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School trips abroad, vocational training, study, work and retirement are all events with far-reaching consequences for different life course dimensions, such as family and career. A move abroad as well as the return to Germany can therefore lead to change and adaptation processes in the new living environment. The German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS) of the BiB and the University of Duisburg-Essen, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), is exploring these changes in migration patterns. At the same time, it closes a gap in the research, as project coordinator Dr. Andreas Ette and researcher Dr. Nils Witte emphasise in an interview.

Dr. Ette, what research interests are being pursued in the project on the emigration and return of Germans?

Migration research has focused primarily on migration from economically less developed countries to more developed countries. However, migration between highly developed states is an increasingly significant factor in today's migration patterns. We know comparatively little about these processes so far. This also includes the individual consequences of international mobility on the life course of those affected. The GERPS project aims to close this research gap and present new data on this topic, based on the example of Germany as a highly developed welfare state. Unlike other studies that analyse only one country of destination and its immigrants from a variety of countries of origin, GERPS focuses on interviewing people from one country of origin in a variety of countries of destination. In the case of Germany, these are predominantly other European countries. In this context, migration is regarded as a major event in people’s life courses with a wide-ranging impact. The project pays special attention to the "employment and income", "partnership and family" as well as "health and life satisfaction" dimensions. For the first time, the project provides a unique data basis for these questions, including for international comparisons, as this population group is not, or only partially, covered in other surveys such as the Socio-Economic Panel.

Why do Germans decide to leave a country with a high standard of living, a functioning social system and enduringly good economic prospects?

Professional motives are of great importance, and are given by almost 58 per cent of respondents as a reason for their decision to migrate. In second place, at 45 per cent, is a desire to change one’s personal circumstances. Dissatisfaction with life in Germany, by contrast, is only of secondary importance for emigration. Only 17 per cent stated that this was a significant factor in their decision to emigrate.

Why do former emigrants return to Germany?

Of the Germans who decide to move abroad, more than one in five respondents declared that they intended to live abroad permanently. Half of the respondents, on the other hand, were planning a temporary stay abroad of up to five years. When these returnees are questioned about their motives, professional reasons play the main role here, too – although, at 40 per cent, this is not quite as high as in the case of emigration. In addition, family reasons play a crucial role in the decision to return, as was shown by the figure of more than 40 per cent of respondents. Overall, only a small minority reported dissatisfaction with their life or with the political conditions in the destination country. There was one exception, however: just under half of the returnees from the UK stated that the UK's exit from the EU (“Brexit”) was an important reason for returning to Germany. Overall, though, it should be noted that most internationally mobile individuals had not just one relevant reason, but a bundle of very different motives for deciding to emigrate or return.

Dr. Witte, how would you describe the social structure of the emigrants and returnees?

First of all, emigrants and remigrants are on average over 10 years younger than the non-mobile ("settled") population in Germany. In addition, the internationally mobile population is above-average in terms of qualifications and has elevated socio-economic status. For example, 85 per cent of employed emigrants are university graduates, which is very high when compared to the one third found in the overall German population. There is a similar picture in relation to social origin. Almost 60 per cent of emigrants, but only 15 per cent of the reference population, come from academic families.

And what impact does migration have on the social mobility of those affected?

We had assumed that international migration increases social mobility. But we have found no evidence of this so far. However, this could be partly due to the fact that most emigrants already belong to the upper salary classes and therefore find it difficult to progress any further. This is also supported by the fact that emigration reduces the risk of downward social mobility. On average, emigration is associated with a significant increase in wages. Apart from these socio-structural effects, however, we find evidence that emigration brings not only financial rewards, but also has a positive effect on life satisfaction.

You have also studied the consequences of international migration on the relationships of emigrant and returnee couples. What impact does migration have on partnerships?

This aspect has been investigated in particular by our colleagues at the University of Duisburg, with whom we have been collaborating for several years. They have been looking at the conditions under which international migration increases the risk of separation. Interestingly, this risk is lower in the case of emigration than of return migration. The risk of separation is higher if the partner is involved in the migration as a "silent companion", i.e. is not the person who made the actual decision to migrate, but who goes along anyway. In many cases these are women. The risk of separation is significantly increased in cases where the partnership is on an unequal footing and the timing of the migration process is not coordinated between the partners – for both emigrants and returnees.

Did you come across any surprising or unexpected findings?

To date, the debate on emigration from Germany, but also from other industrialised countries such as the United States or neighbouring European nations, has mostly focused on the economic consequences. Many societies are ageing, which is giving rise to widespread concern that international mobility could further exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers in these societies. One of the surprising findings in our study is indeed the very high average qualification level of the emigrants, yet our analyses find hardly any evidence of a permanent "brain drain" from Germany. As already mentioned, only one in five emigrants plans to stay abroad permanently, while half of the emigrants intend to return within a few years. Since the emigrants and returnees have similar qualification levels, our research allays fears of a permanent loss of skilled labour, although individual professions, especially in the IT sector and in the natural sciences, could be affected. The compilation volume shows that the debate should focus more on the individual consequences of a period abroad. International mobility yields occupational benefits for most respondents and reduces the risk of downward social mobility.

Where does the study go now?

The project has developed extremely well over the past few years. We are currently preparing to ask emigrants and returnees about the course of their stay abroad: they were surveyed for the first time in 2018, and this autumn will be the fifth time. In future publications we will therefore increasingly be addressing the longer-term consequences of this form of international migration. What consequences does mobility have on partnerships and families? And do the returnees manage to capitalise on their new experience in their professional careers in the long term?

Erlinghagen, Marcel; Ette, Andreas; Schneider, Norbert F.; Witte, Nils (2021): The Global Lives of German Migrants. Consequences of International Migration Across the Life Course. IMISCOE Research Series. Cham: Springer.