America is often referred to as ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’ and has also been known as a land of opportunity. Both of these views still echo through the minds of expats considering moving to the USA, and it’s not hard to see why.
Official figures state that there are currently over 829,000 Brits living in the USA, which is over twice as many as those living in France. The booming technology industry in Northern California’s Silicon Valley is a magnet for expats moving to the USA from all over the world; perfect for those seeking career development within the computing and technology sector. Earlier this year global recruitment firm Hydrogen published a report stating that companies in Silicon Valley will be looking for more and more professionals with IT skills. Dominic McNamara, global leader of Hydrogen’s Technology Practice, said: “Technology is being talked about much more by the wider business community, especially in the US and UK which are seeing major investment into big data companies.”
According to a report by Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, the skills that are most in demand are science, engineering and mathematics. In particular, computer and mathematical science, and management jobs make up a large proportion of jobs that are currently being advertised.
Outside of work, the USA is also a high scorer amongst expats, with sports and culture playing an important part of the American lifestyle. Most big towns and cities have a wealth of high-end art galleries, museums, concert halls and major league sports teams. America sometimes gets a bad reputation for its love of fast food restaurants, however this was recently put into doubt by an article in the Washington Post, which revealed that there are now more museums in the USA than branches of Starbucks and McDonalds combined, at a staggering ratio of 25,000 to 35,000.
When American residents take their ‘vacation,’ they are within easy reach of many of the world’s top holiday destinations, including the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Canada, which are all on the doorstep for those looking to cross the border. Having said this, the selection of getaways within the USA is diverse, including Walt Disney World for expats with children, skiing in Aspen or the world-famous coast-to-coast drive along Route 66.
On a day-to-day basis, British expats moving to the USA will feel much more at home than they would if they moved anywhere else, with many of the home comforts still being easily accessible including branded food, drink, TV shows and of course the language! The USA also consistently ranks very highly on the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey for the quality of childcare and education for those moving to the USA with children.
If you’re moving to the USA, find out how our international removals team can help to arrange packing, storage and transportation on your behalf.
Information correct at time of publication