London has been revealed as the top destination US workers would like to move to, with 17 percent of respondents choosing this option. This was followed by Rome (12 percent), Barcelona (11 percent), Paris (9 percent) and Dublin (8 percent) to complete the top five.
The company Kickresume has conducted a new survey of 1,081 US workers to find out their dream European cities to work in and the reasons behind their choice. The survey was conducted in July 2024, polling 1,081 US workers across various age groups and states to gauge their preferences and concerns regarding working in European cities.
Of those surveyed, 30 percent chose their destination because they had always wanted to visit, 27 percent chose it because of a fascination with the city’s culture and cuisine, and 15 percent were inspired by a past holiday.
For 10 percent the reason was job opportunities. 6 percent were influenced by friends and family, and 3 percent were influenced by television shows or movies set in that city.
Data from the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index 2023 shows that for Americans, the UK ranks in the top ten countries for both historic buildings and contemporary culture.
The biggest worry about moving to a European city was the language barrier at 35 percent – perhaps why London was such a popular choice in comparison to other cities.
The survey aimed to find out how long US workers would be happy to move to Europe for. 53 percent of respondents said they would stay for more than a year – 19 percent would stay for a single year, 17 percent for two years, and 17 percent would be prepared to move permanently.
However, 34 percent of those who answered the survey said they would stay for less than a year. In addition, 14 percent would stay for a maximum of a year, and 8 percent for a maximum of six months. For 12 percent, they would only stay for three months. Interestingly, 13 percent were undecided – it would depend on how they found the experience once they got there.
Kickresume also asked what US citizens would bring from home if they could, and by far the highest percentage of respondents said they would bring their pets, at 33 percent. The next most popular answer was access to their favourite TV shows and streaming services, chosen by 22 percent. Around 10 percent of respondents each said they would want to bring their car, holidays from home like Thanksgiving, and food.
Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder at Kickresume observes: “It was very interesting to see which European cities US workers would most like to move to for work. Despite the runaway popularity of ‘Emily in Paris’, the French capital was not in the top three destinations, although at number four, it did make it into the top five. London, which came first, was named the best city in the world last year by the World’s Best Cities Report for the ninth year running. In the same report, Paris came second.”
