GoKawiilGermany has long attracted skilled workers to its labor market. The country has been much less successful at retaining them. So what is Germany doing wrong?
"Anyone who wants to shape immigration successfully must also understand emigration," Laura Gossner, a researcher in migration and international labor studies with the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), said at a press conference in Berlin.
The IAB conducted an online survey of people aged 18 to 65 who had immigrated to Germany before April 2025 and then chose not to stay, asking them what factors influenced their decision to leave the country again.
The researchers found that emigration is not driven by any single factor. Family-related reasons, in particular, play a major role. Experiences of discrimination were also cited.
Many of the contributing factors, such as bureaucracy, housing and language acquisition, can be influenced by public policy.
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Who is most likely to leave Germany again?
"On average, emigrants are younger," said Theresa Koch, who works as a researcher in migration and the international labor market at IAB. "They have spent less time in Germany and are more likely to have partners and children living abroad. They are also less likely to be proficient in German but more likely to have a good command of English."
About 60% of emigrants return to their home countries; 40% move on to destinations such as Spain, Switzerland, Italy and Croatia.
"We are competing with other European countries for skilled workers," said Yuliya Kosyakova, the head of the research department for migration and the international labor market at the IAB .
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