Analysis within the framework of the IEER ad-hoc business climate research project shows the change in the propensity of emigration according to the frequency of internet search terms relating to foreign employment. Google Trends provides a system for retrieving time series data with the frequency of different search terms characterized by the Google search service. Our prior assumption is that the internet is a significant part of pre-migration enquiries and the Google search engine is used in this process, thus search volume carries relevant information for our calculation with regard to migration trends.

The results show that in general, the frequency of search terms for working abroad not related to a specific country peaked twice between January 2007 and September 2012, first in 2009 and then in January 2012, while in December 2010 it was at a minimum. The most popular search destinations were Austria, Germany and Great Britain during the period under review. In all three countries, 2012 showed an increased interest in employment opportunities; the search volume peaked in January of this year. Employment in Austria was of interest to those mostly in the western part of Hungary, while for Germany the same can be said for those living in the counties of Komárom-Esztergom and Tolna. For job opportunities in England the north-eastern part of the country showed the greatest interest for the period under review. The data shows that – with the exception of Austria – Hungarians very rarely look for work in neighbouring countries.