‘It’s been life-changing’: young Britons on why they left the UK to work abroad

Skilled workers facing a tough jobs market and high rents at home reveal how they have built new lives elsewhere, from Vancouver to Dubai

• UK migration could be negative this year - how will that hit the economy?

As young people bear the brunt of a downturn in the jobs market, figures show a significant number are leaving the UK.

Although statisticians caution against comparing annual figures after a recent change in methodology and stress younger people are traditionally more drawn to emigration, a net 111,000 people aged 16 to 34 emigrated from the UK in the year to March 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics.