Why are young people leaving Britain to work abroad?

With rising rents, a tough job market and pay cheques stretched to the limit, some young Britons are choosing to build their futures overseas.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 195,000 people under the age of 35 moved abroad in the year to June.

So where are they going, what are they doing – and will they ever come home?

When Ray Amjad graduated from the University of Cambridge a few years ago, he thought about staying in the historic city, but his head was soon turned.

The 25-year-old, from Manchester, travelled to 20 different countries, working remotely in web design, and realised he could no longer see himself living back in the UK.

He moved to Tokyo last year under a two-year visa for top graduates and hopes to apply for permanent residency there in the future.

“In my experience, the UK is losing too many talented young people,” he says.

“Japan is getting a good deal, really – we’re moving out here, fully formed, and they haven’t had to pay for our education or healthcare, growing up.”

Ray’s university friends have moved to Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong, with many citing the cost of living in the UK and lack of employment opportunities as factors.

“Here in Tokyo, it used to be much older people who moved out here to work, but that has changed recently,” he says.

“It feels much safer here. I can walk around and not worry about my phone being stolen. I can leave my laptop in a cafe for a while and it’s still going to be there.

“And the flat I’m renting would be three times the price in London.”

Isobel Perl started her own skincare brand from her parents’ house in Watford five years ago.

Now 30, she has decided to move to Dubai in the new year and hopes to expand her business into the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“My sister moved to Dubai a few years ago and my parents have decided to move too, so it just makes sense,” she says.

“Sun all year round is a huge reason for me. It’s an expensive place to live but I won’t have to pay income tax.”

Isobel was among the first cohort to get one of 10,000 golden visas for content creators, which allow 10 years of residency.

Most people moving to Dubai have big ambitions and dreams, Isobel says.

“That energy is so important to be around. There is a thriving business community and it’s a very inspiring place to be.”

Isobel plans to still manufacture her skincare products in the UK but will run things from Dubai and hopes in the future she can import her products and sell them in the UAE.

In January, she has to rebrand from PERL Cosmetics to Isobel Perl due to a trademark objection from another firm, leaving her with £500,000-worth of stock to clear before the end of the year.

“I have had to reduce the prices and it’s a huge financial blow,” she says.

“I really need a new start. I’m going into the new year with hopeful energy.”

She says she will miss her friends, her horse and countryside walks.

“But I’m only a seven-hour flight away,” she adds.

Three-quarters of British nationals who emigrated in the year ending June 2025 were under the age of 35, according to the ONS.

But it has recently changed how it estimates British migration, so it is difficult to compare to previous years.

An ONS spokesperson said the data was not surprising because most migrants tended to be young.

David Little, financial planning partner at UK wealth manager Evelyn Partners, believes young people are choosing to work abroad due to the “increasingly negative economic narrative in the UK”, of high unemployment, rising debt and tax burdens, and fewer graduate vacancies.

Dubai, in particular, has transformed into a global career hub, attracting thousands of British workers with tax-free salaries, low crime rates and booming job market, he says.

“Destinations like the UAE offer tax-free living, a ‘can-do’ attitude, and a business-friendly environment that feels far more optimistic and rewarding,” he says.

“Interestingly, instead of the traditional ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ helping with a first home deposit, families are now supporting children with the costs of emigration and settling abroad.”

Sol Hyde, from Colchester, says he jumped on a plane as soon as his online business started making money.

“The same is true for almost every UK entrepreneur I know,” he adds.

The 25-year-old quit his corporate job last October, after realising it was making him miserable.

“I was waking up to darkness and cold. It was quite a lonely existence because all my friends were working so hard,” he says.

“I had no idea what to do but I just knew I needed to get out.”

In January, he started his marketing consulting firm, which helps businesses grow on social media.

Sol has spent most of this year in Bali but thinks he might end up in Cape Town, South Africa.

“I wake up to the sun and jump on my motorbike to my run club,” he says.

“I meet 30 other young people building businesses and we get a coffee together. I co-work with friends all day and then we go out in the evening.”

The hardest part has been leaving his friends and family behind, he says.

“But when I had a corporate job, I didn’t see them because I was working so hard. Now I am closer to them because we actually speak more.”

He believes the UK suffers from “tall poppy syndrome” – where successful people are resented – and a negative culture.

“Success is met with criticism, rumour-spreading and general hate,” he says.

Sol currently has six employees and is taking on four more. But he believes the tax system in the UK would have inhibited his growth and ability to take risks.

“This is a medium-term solution for me, ” he says.

“I love the UK and I’m not ruling out coming back when I’m in a better financial position, but right now I’m so glad I left.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said the Budget doubled down on its work to grow the economy and create good jobs by maintaining the cap on corporation tax at 25%, supporting high streets with permanently lower tax rates and making it easier for start-ups to scale and invest in the UK.

“Every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed and when given the right support and opportunities, they will grasp them,” they said.

“This government is supporting entrepreneurs to thrive – they are a key theme of our small business strategy to drive economic growth across the country – and with an 87% employment rate, graduates remain more likely to be in work than those without a degree.”