The Rising Trend of Millennials Relocating for Jobs

Whether it’s pulling up stakes in order to relocate for a specific job or staying on the move in order to seek out the city, region or industry able to offer the best professional opportunities of the moment, millennials have proven themselves to be the most mobile generation ever. There are a variety of different reasons why younger professionals remain so flexible in terms of their geographic location. From finding the best job to staying one step ahead of the rising cost of living, millennials show no sign of settling down anytime soon.

Career Opportunities

Lack of local career opportunities can be a compelling reason to relocate to a new city. The rise of automation as well as the ease with which employers are able to hire or contract with off-site workers has left countless millennials unable to find a viable employer closer to home. Even those who may have managed to find work may be required to relocate or travel frequently by their employer. Professionals who have less resistance to a more mobile and flexible lifestyle are finding it much easier to get a leg up on the competition.

Shorter Career Lifespan

Gone are the days where workers could expect to have a single employer for the duration of their entire career. Younger professionals have quickly adapted to the so called gig economy. While there are still plenty of long-term prospects to be found, it is not uncommon for millennials to find themselves seeking out a new position or employer after only a few years or even months of working for a company.

Cost of Living

Wage growth has done little to keep pace with inflation over the past few decades and plenty of millennials have discovered that, even with steady employment, they may no longer be able to afford the town or region they once called home. Lower cost of living is part of the motivating forces that are driving younger workers to new cities and regions where their pay is able to go a lot further. There is even a sizable percentage of the work force that have elected to remain permanently mobile in an effort to stay one step ahead of the rising cost of living.

Millennials as a group are faced with a number of unique challenges unlike any that have impacted earlier generations. Recent statistics indicate that the trend of millennials relocating for work is only expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Younger workers are more likely to possess a flexible outlook, a talent for more creative planning when it comes to laying out their future career path and a sense of adventure that allows them to handle relocation or the need for more frequent travel with greater ease.