An investigation into why so many top level UK executives are choosing to relocate abroad in the current economic climate.

26% of UK executives who left existing roles in 2010 chose to move to a different country entirely. This represents a 6% increase from 2009.

In contrast, Germany, Italy and Spain have emigration rates of only 7-8%. This means that the UK is now the second biggest exporter of senior talent after Central/Eastern Europe.

This is one of the key findings of the 3rd edition of Talent Mapping research from international online career and recruitment service, Experteer.

The research suggests that of the total number of company members, over 70,000 senior-level professionals changed jobs in the 12 months leading up to the first quarter of 2011.

15.6% of this group took up a new position in a different country, representing a small drop from 2008-09 levels (17%) but an intriguing rise on 2007/08 (13.5%).

The number of international relocations within this group totalled 11,188, with 7.2% originating from the UK.

So what has contributed to the UK trend over the past two years? Clearly, the continuing impact of economic recession on the domestic job market has played a significant role.

There are also emerging threats to living standards from public sector spending, as well as the introduction of the 50p top personal tax rate for those earning over GBP150,000 (EUR170,000) a year in 2010.

These decisions have made the UK less attractive to top-level talent in a number of areas, making relocation a viable option in a lot of cases.

Germany has been the location of choice for many of this group.

The second largest group chose to migrate even further, beyond Europe in a number of cases. France was the third most popular destination.

Switzerland achieved the highest net gain in imported senior-level professionals, just over 50% in total.

Movement between neighbouring countries remains very common practice. Common language skills, as well as a proximity to home countries, is undoubtedly influencing this pattern.

Of course, any relocation abroad can be a stressful and complex experience. International relocation services can advise and assist with a number of important issues, helping you to focus on the task in hand within your new surroundings.