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Tech is top for US relocation -- but one in five regret their decision

If you work in the US technology industry, there’s a strong chance that you will locate for your work.
Written by Eileen Brown, Contributor

The allure of a better-paying job or a new city might be tempting, but relocating your life and family is about so much more than your ZIP code, or the state you call home.

With the job market being in the employee's favor with low unemployment, how do people feel about making drastic life changes like relocating across the US to pursue a new career?

Seattle, WA-based home services platform Porch surveyed over 1,000 people about the effect that relocating has on their lives.

Of the 20 industries in the survey, the tech industry was the one that people were most likely to relocate for. 

In the first half of 2018, more than 10% of people looking for a job relocated as a result of their new employment, and tech jobs were the biggest influence in luring people toward a new opportunity.

In 2018, some of the biggest cities for technology jobs included Charlotte, North Carolina, Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado – but surprisingly not Silicon Valley

Its study discovered that many of us stay close to where we grew up. One in three people (34%) live within 10 miles of where they grew up. One in four people (23%) live under 50 miles away from where they grew up, and less than one in 20 (4%) live over 2,000 miles away.

Tech is the  number 1 industry for US relocation zdnet
Porch

One out of three people relocated for a job, while over one in ten (11%) of the people who relocated did so to pursue a job in the tech industry.

Over four out of five (83%) said that they do not regret moving for work. Only 17% of people who moved for tech said they did regret moving for work.

Three out of five people (63%) who moved for tech said they moved to a new state. Four out of five (80%) of people who moved for tech, moved to work for a new company.

Over half (54%) said they are still employed by the same company they moved for, and 46% of people who moved for tech said their job paid for their relocation. 

Three out of five (60%) of people who moved for tech still live in the same area  

Millennials are not buying their homes as early as their parents or grandparents did at the same age, and they also do not live in the same location as long as older generations.

Millennials move at least once every 2.2 years, Generation X move every 3.7 years, and Baby Boomers move on average once every 5.7 years.

Chris Lewis, creative strategist for Porch said: "By not being tied down to one place by a partner, child, or property, younger Americans are able to move more freely, and more willingly, for a job that will advance their career goals.

What's more, you see a lot of tech jobs in fun, energetic cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Austin, so it's no surprise why young tech workers stick around in those cities."

Whether it's a pay bump or new opportunity, relocating for one's career is a primary reason people move to a new city. However relocation may turn into regret, losing touch with friends, and being away from family.

Make sure that the job is as good as it seems before you pack up all of your stuff and go.

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