10 September, 2007

THOUSANDS of Scots emigrate every year, citing better jobs, more favourable weather and large ex-pat communities as their motives for the move.

But finance comes into it too.

As young families struggle to keep their heads above water with rising interest rates, taxes, property prices and cost of living, the lure of sunnier climes has never been stronger.
Some 32,000 people left Scotland in 2005 to join the 5.5 million Brits that now live overseas. Since 2000, 163,000 Scots have started a new life elsewhere.

Across the UK as a whole, a total of 200,000 emigrated last year, mainly to Australia, Spain and France.

Australia is welcoming these new residents with open arms - moving down under has never been easier.

On 1 September new rules came into effect that mean an extra five points will be awarded for passing a standard English language test under Australia's points-based immigration system.
Jason Hemmings, a director at Albannach FM, an independent financial advice (IFA) firm, said the biggest lure of foreign shores was a better quality of life at a lower cost.

"In Scotland, in most cases, both parents have to work and therefore need childcare. The growing cost of living is undermining what people want to achieve out of life. When the cost of living is less, it gives people choice about whether or not both parents work and where the children go to school."

Chris J Mackie, a financial planner with Acumen, agreed, saying: "The buoyant UK housing market, coupled with the low European Interest rates and cheap cost of living, has resulted in a large migration of Brits overseas. This seems to be an especially appealing option around retirement time when, with many pensions not producing sufficient income to maintain the required standard of living, people look for ways to free up capital from property. I'm sure the British summers also have something to do with it."

According to research by Selftrade, more than one in five young people said they would leave the UK if the government decided to abolish the state pension.

And there is now constant pressure on the younger generation to prepare for their old age. But more than a quarter of British adults fail to make any provision for retirement and nearly a third of women admitted to not making any pension plans in a recent survey by Alliance Trust.

Hyman Wolanski, head of pensions at Alliance Trust, said: "It is worrying to see that many in the prime of their working lives are most uncomfortable about their retirement prospects. It is clear that serious action needs to be taken to tackle the problem to break this trend."

In addition, young people are being priced out of the housing market. It has become increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to get a foothold on the property ladder. The average house price in Edinburgh is £288,000, according to new research from Halifax. Compare this to Melbourne, where it is possible to buy a three-bedroom detached house with parkland views for £130,000.

Page 1 of 3 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 3 | Next