The UK economy has experienced a growth of 0.4% in the fourth quarter of last year which is higher than was predicted by city analysts. Official data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) state that the previous estimate for October – December 2009 was 0.3%.

The ONS commented that the unexpected higher growth was due to increased output from construction, agriculture and service industries.

The statistics above show that when the UK emerged from its 18 month recession at the end of last year, the economy had had more momentum than previously thought. Despite this, economists are quick to point out that the economic recovery will still be a slow and gradual process. However, this is still positive news for anyone moving to the UK in the future.

The UK’s oldest emigrant, Eric King-Turner, has died in Nelson, New Zealand at the age of 104. He passed away in November last year after spending two years living in his new home.

The retired dentist, originally from Titchfield near Southampton, had also served in the Royal Navy during World War I. He set sail for New Zealand at the age of 102 with his 87 year old wife, Doris, who was originally from New Zealand. They travelled to New Zealand together to begin their new life on cruise ship, the Saga Rose. When they arrived in 2007, they were welcomed by a large amount of media attention which they happily co-operated with.

He was quoted in a national newspaper at the time saying:

‘It’s a wonderful new adventure and I would say to anyone that if you want to do something you should do it straight away, while you can. What’s important is that when I’m 105 I don’t want to be thinking, ‘I wish I had moved to the other side of the world when I was 102′. 

The couple met in the 1990s when Doris visited England to research her ancestry. She met Eric as they had the same surname but they are not related.

Eric’s reasons for moving to New Zealand were similar to many other people. He was in search of a more relaxed pace of living in a less crowded country which still maintained a British way of life. Eric and his wife became local celebrities where they lived in Tasman Bay and Eric was known for his fly-fishing passion. He is listed in the record books as the UK’s oldest emigrant and New Zealand’s oldest immigrant. He credited his long life to inheriting good genes and eating a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and also a small drink of gin everyday!

England overtook Holland in 2008 to become the second most crowded nation in Europe. Statistics from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that England is second only to Malta with regard to population density within the European Union (EU).

Increasing population density in the UK is a common reason for emigration out of the UK. The current overcrowding population trend, particularly in the South East of the country, can lead to pressure on public services and generally a lower quality of life.

A Leyland Comet from John Mason’s vehicle fleet – 1961/62.

Western Australia is currently undergoing a mining boom and there are many job vacancies in the region at the moment. The local council is issuing a major recruitment drive in order to attract workers to the industry.

The Australian government are currently interviewing hundreds of migrant workers in order to fill the vacancies. The workers interviewed were mainly from New Zealand, the UK and South Africa.

According to the Institute for Public Policy & Research (IPPR), the top five destinations for British expatriates moving overseas to are as follows:

1) Australia

2) USA

3) Canada

4) Spain

5) France

According to trade analysts, the Panama Canal will see a slow recovery this year, although revenues will rise, this will be of a modest nature. This is a similar pattern to that predicted for the general international shipping industry as a whole. Many economists believe that although the shipping industry is recovering from the financial crisis, progress will be gradual and moderate. This could be due to the fact that in the maritime business, orders can take several weeks to reach ports and therefore this delay means that the shipping industry can take longer to catch up.

Alberto Aleman, CEO of the Panama Canal Authority said:

’This year will be flat, it will be very similar in terms of volume. We are seeing the same tonnage’.

Revenues for the Panama Canal fell by almost 3% last year when compared to the previous year but income is expected to rise again this year. During the global crisis, the same number of ships passed through the canal but tonnage was lower due to the fact that most vessels were operating at lower capacities.  

The Panama Canal is one of the key shipping canals in the world. Around 4/5% of international commerce passes through the Panama Canal each year. If you are moving to Australia or New Zealand, it is likely that your goods will travel via this canal, of course depending on the routing of your shipment.

Clydebank, Scotland, 1967: One of two vans delivering all the pianos to the Queen Elizabeth 2^nd Cruise Ship (The QE2) before the vessel was put into service.  John Mason also delivered all the pianos to the Queen Elizabeth 1st many years before.

A survey by Moneycorp, the UK based foreign exchange specialist, has revealed that the weakening pound is causing many British expatriates to consider moving overseas. Expats living in Spain have been most affected by the falling value of Sterling. 79% of expatriates in Spain felt that their spending power had been reduced. The situation in Spain is similar for expatriates in France, Germany and Italy.

The value of sterling against the Euro has been steadily falling for the past few years. The Euro and the Pound are now almost 1 for 1, compared to €1.5 euros to £1 in 2007. This factor is contributing to the rise of the ‘ex-expat’.

Other reasons for repatriation apart from the weak pound include fears for job security, rising costs of living abroad and falling values for overseas properties. In particular, prices for costal properties in Spain have dramatically dropped. Many expat dreams are being ended due to these reasons with many individuals and families reluctantly being forced to return home to the UK.

The survey was conducted by market research agency Vanson Bourne during the recession in October and November 2009. Over 500 British expatriates were surveyed. Half of the expatriates lived in Europe and the other half lived in the Commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Other surveys, including research from Knight Franc and the Institute for Public Policy Research, state similar findings. House prices in Australia increased by 6.2% last year, causing further difficulties for people moving to Australia. The Institute predicts that the trend of people returning home will continue in the near future as more jobs are lost and life overseas becomes more difficult.

The situation was worsened for many on Tuesday 16^th March this year when the European Court of Human Rights ruled against increasing expatriate pensions in line with inflation for people living in non-EU countries. The appeal was lodged earlier this year by a group of UK pensioners who believe that the present system is unfair. Currently, only retired expatriates living in the European Economic Area or a country which has a reciprocal pension arrangement with the UK such as Jamaica and the USA, are entitled to indexed pensions. This ruling will affect over half a million overseas pensioners around the world and may lead to hardship for many people.

It’s not all doom and gloom however! Expatriates in Australia and New Zealand are not as adversely affected as expats in Europe, despite the recent increase in Australian house prices.  Only 23% of émigrés in Australia and 24% in New Zealand stated that they felt that their spending power had been reduced.

When moving abroad, getting used to the local culture can at first seem daunting. Unless you are very accustomed with the country or have close friends / relatives already living there to guide you, in most cases an unfamiliar culture will be disorientating. Different social etiquettes and social norms in addition to language barriers can present problems.  Furthermore, social etiquette can often be very subtle and even body language can be interpreted differently in another culture. Things you may do subconsciously in your home culture may be construed in a different manner in another country.

If you don’t know a resident to pass on local knowledge, there is help available on the internet. It is worth researching before you leave. There are numerous websites dedicated to culture issues. For example, the website www.culturosity.com features free articles such as ‘Strategies for Overcoming Language Barriers’, ‘Tips for Effective Cross-Cultural Communication’ and ‘Cultural Blunders’. There is also a learning centre and guides available to download.    

If you are posted on an overseas assignment for your company, the book by Dutch author Geert Hofstede ‘Cultural Dimensions for International Business’ may be useful for managing staff and dealing with colleagues. Issues discussed in the book include an analysis of Individualistic Western cultures versus Collectivist Asian societies and problems which can occur in the workplace because of these differences. The book is based on years of research by Hofstede and is a useful aid for managers working on overseas relocation assignments. Five cultural dimensions are evaluated, including Power Distance Index, Individualism (as discussed above), Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long Term Orientation. Hofstede argues that by understanding these differences, working practices and relationships in an international context will become much easier.