According to a government report on migration, 680,700 people immigrated to Germany in 2007, of which 575,000 were foreigners (another 105,700 were returning Germans). Thus, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees states that the number of arrivals exceeded the number of departures by 44,000. In 2006, this difference was 23,000 people.
Most qualified professionals leave Germany for Switzerland - 22.5%, reports Deutsche Welle citing the recruitment company Experteer. In second place is the United Kingdom (9.2%), and third is Austria (8.5%). According to Experteer managing director Christian Gotsch, these figures indicate that Germans try to find new work in a culturally similar country whose language they know.
These countries are followed by the USA (7), China (5.2), France (4.9) and the Netherlands (4.8%). Most often, German specialists abroad work in consulting (15%). The second most popular field is IT outsourcing (11%) and the banking and finance sector (8%).