California coastal town of San Clemente, just north of San Diego County.
Art Wager | E+ | Getty Images
California is the most popular state among U.K.-based jobseekers chasing the American Dream, according to new research.
Global jobs website Indeed analyzed U.K. searches for roles in the United States over four years, finding that aside from the Golden State, Brits were most likely to look for roles in New York and Florida.
The 10 most popular U.S. states for British workers
- California
- New York
- Florida
- Texas
- Massachusetts
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- Washington
- North Carolina
Indeed’s report said the booming tech sector and draw of Silicon Valley was likely to play a part in California’s appeal, as well as its warmer climate. The West Coast cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco were the second and third most popular cities for job searches, with New York City topping the list of most popular U.S. work destinations among Brits.
Washington, D.C., and Boston rounded out the top five cities British people wanted to work in.
Although people in Britain accounted for 8% of overseas searches for U.S. jobs, the interest from Brits wanting to work in America has actually fallen by almost 20% over the past four years, Indeed found.
British workers’ share of inbound job searches has fallen by 19% since November 2016, placing the U.K. third behind India and Canada in international candidates looking for U.S. opportunities.
The data also showed that people in the U.K. who wanted to work in the U.S. were mostly looking for positions in customer service, summer internships and research assistant roles. Jobs in the American science and technology sectors were consistently popular among British jobseekers planning a career move, Indeed said.
The report also noted that searches for jobs typically sought out by younger people — such as nannying or admin roles — suggested that young workers and students were hoping to combine working in the U.S. with traveling.
Bill Richards, Indeed’s managing director for the U.K., said in a press release Thursday that the decline in Brits searching for work in the U.S. could be a sign of the U.K.’s strong labor market — but he noted that the American Dream “continues to hold a powerful appeal” for those with an interest in working overseas.
“With work-life balance a more important factor in people’s career choices, our data shows that while jobseekers start their job search with a role in mind they also think about the location and type of lifestyle they want,” he said.
