More Israeli academics are seeking positions abroad, a poll by an Israeli relocation service shows.
The poll shows that this year that 9% more Israeli professors, academics, and high-tech professionals have taken or hope to take jobs abroad, even though salaries there are largely stagnant.
Most of those seeking jobs abroad are hoping to move to the US, with Britain a close second, although some expressed interest in taking positions in the Far East as well.
Many of the families the company works with move abroad with the sponsorship of an employer, with many working for multinational companies or representing Israeli firms abroad. With that, the impetus to move abroad is often undertaken by workers themselves, who apply for positions in their organizations in locations outside Israel.
The poll by Israeli firm Relocation Source of some 2,500 families that emigrated for academic positions abroad showed that over 80% of them said that they were moving because they did not believe that the government could improve their standard of living in the near future. 42% said that the cost of living was too high. Career advancement or challenge was a factor into only 7% of the families' decisions to leave Israel.
According to the poll, many more Israeli academics would leave if they could find appropriate work abroad. “Those who do leave plan on doing so for the long-term, because moving abroad requires major effort,” said company CEO Galia Alinsky.
The cost of moving a family to the U.S. or Europe for a company can amount to as much as $400,000, taking into account moving costs, renting them a home, schooling, etc., said Alinsky.