Relocating for Tech Jobs in 2025

13 points by andrewstetsenko 2 days ago | 19 comments

Helping software engineers to relocate during my last 12 years and working with various hiring companies (from Japan to Canada), I tried to connect the dots and share my predictions for the job relocation market in 2025.

These insights are mainly for the Tech industry. But, many of these trends will likely apply to other sectors, too.

So, let’s break it down.

1. Competition will become more intense

We’ll see a significant rise in applicants for each position. This increased competition will make it harder for job seekers to stand out and increase their workload for companies that hire talent from abroad.

2. Relocation-friendly job ads will decrease and become more segmented

Not all markets will be equally open to hiring talent from abroad. Fewer jobs will explicitly support relocation. Opportunities will be concentrated in specific industries and regions.

3. Remote work will become a pathway to relocation

Securing a remote job first might be the key to relocating. Over time, this could prompt them to offer you a relocation opportunity. You also might start with a remote contract. Later, transfer it to an Employer of Record (EOR) in your desired country. This model is popular for moving to Canada with a remote US contract.

4. "Job seeker" visas will gain more traction

Countries like Germany, Austria, Portugal or UAE are expanding job seeker visa programs. These programs will allow individuals to relocate without a job, shifting the risk from employers to job seekers, who can then search for work after moving to the country.

5. Relocation may involve extra steps or intermediary companies

Your path to your dream employer might be longer. It may involve intermediary or consulting companies that handle payroll for larger corporations. You may first work for a third-party employer, not your target company.

6. "Digital nomad" visas will make relocation more independent

These visas allow professionals to live and work remotely in another country. They offer an alternative to employer-sponsored relocation. It helps job seekers test a new location without committing to a full move.

7. Prioritizing opportunities over salary

For candidates, the value of relocation will grow. Salary and compensation will matter. But, relocation and career growth may matter more.It might lead to moderate salaries and less competitive relocation packages employers offer.

8. Europe leads as the top destination for tech talent

European countries, like the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, would be the top choice for tech talent (based on Relocate.me data for 2024). It's based on the not-so-complex immigration process, work-life balance, social benefits, etc.

That said, the 2025 job relocation market will have both challenges and opportunities.

If you're adaptable and persistent, there will be plenty of chances to grow and achieve your relocation goals.

Would you be eager to relocate for a job this year? Where and why?

bradlys 2 days ago | next |

> Would you be eager to relocate for a job this year? Where and why?

I'm in the process of trying to land a job in NYC, coming from SF. I've been in team match with Meta for several months. They have next to zero openings in NYC. I've applied for a multitude of other jobs in NYC. Obviously, I'm good enough at interviewing to pass FAANG interviews. Very few callbacks and mostly from companies that pay peanuts. But, it's hard. Most companies that want to hire me are still SF based.

I'm not seeing anything from outside the US that would be appealing. The compensation is much lower outside of maybe getting hired at a couple companies in Switzerland.

> 8. Europe leads as the top destination for tech talent

Not convinced. Maybe a leading second destination. It looks like everyone still wants to go to the bay area. A lot of single people I know who have been in the bay area are looking to leave though because of the gender ratio. Thus, NYC is flooded with SF applicants. Almost impossible to get an engineering job at the big tech companies in NYC due to the amount of internal transfers competing for every position.

andrewstetsenko 2 days ago | root | parent | next |

The tech hiring market is pretty turbulent now, indeed.

Regarding Europe as a preference, this data is based on users from 120+ countries. For many developers outside of the US, relocation itself might be a goal. I'd say that from the perspective of the user group we surveyed, Canada was ranked even higher than the US for moving to.

yes_really 2 days ago | root | parent | prev | next |

What level are you applying to? Do you think it's hard because you are applying to a high level and there are fewer openings the higher level it is?

bradlys 2 days ago | root | parent |

Senior and staff. I don’t think it’s an issue with level. They’re just really picky right now cause it’s an employers market for the last three years.

AznHisoka 2 days ago | root | parent | prev |

How many jobs did you apply to? Just trying to gauge whether you’re just being choosy at which jobs to apply to, or whether this market really sucks even for ex-FAANg

bradlys 2 days ago | root | parent |

Couple hundred jobs last year. Got a few onsites but everyone was extremely picky. My performance during interviews wasn't too bad. I got the feeling multiple times that it didn't matter how well I performed - there was something else going on. I talked with peers from FAANG and they experienced the same. I applied for about 50 in July and received 0 callbacks during that time. It was extremely depressing.

Even doing team match calls with Meta, I've heard the words, "you're the perfect candidate/match" and still did not get matched. I guess you need to be beyond perfect in this market.

I'm starting again this year and have applied to about 150 positions in the last two weeks between SF, NYC, and remote. A few interviews lined up but mostly with companies you wouldn't have ever heard of.

roland35 2 days ago | root | parent |

Good luck! I found with Google and Meta at least it is way easier to land a job in the bay area and then transfer to a new team in another city than it is to simply start out on that non SF team in the first place!!

bradlys 2 days ago | root | parent |

This is something I considered but I have a real knack for getting on the most toxic teams and I already live in NYC. I don't want to move back to SFBA until I'm married. It's a pretty terrible place to be a single straight man.

rvrs 2 days ago | prev | next |

I'm a born and raised American: I'd give anything to relocate to Europe or Asia permanently (for healthcare access reasons). Currently working a remote job from the US and exploring my options internally and externally.

faizmokh 2 days ago | prev | next |

I'm currently bonded with my company until next year. After this, I'm thinking of applying for jobs in the UAE. The main reason is that I've never experienced working overseas (I'm based in Malaysia). I tried applying for jobs in the UAE several times before landing my current job, but had no luck.

markus_zhang 2 days ago | prev | next |

Thanks for sharing. Where in Canada do you think there is going to be a pocket of tech jobs that we can apply to? I'm thinking about moving from QC to Ottawa, but not sure about the outlook.

olzhasar 2 days ago | prev | next |

I always admired Netherlands as the relocation target, but not-so-complex immigration process? Really? Maybe I'm missing something, but having a sponsored work visa seems to be the only option and there ought to be very few companies providing such support