I have two neighbors, one from Germany and one from Austria. Both have extended their work contracts here in the US. They both told me they are staying for higher pay and lower taxes.
The German family gets a good amount of subsidies from the company to stay here in the US, so I think that has to be one of the primary factors in them deciding to stay.
High earners, in good health, and especially with no kids will definitely make more money - even after costs for healthcare - in the US.
The difference is in how protected they are from downside risk. You can even price it if you want: how much would it cost to buy a level of income and health protection in the US equivalent to the German safety net? Germany by the way isn't that generous by Western European standards. I'd be interested to see someone price it - my suspicion is that it would be ruinously expensive.
Of course, German nationals have the option of returning if they have to. They can earn in the US if their life circumstances make that possible while fleeing to safety if required. It's a pretty valuable option.
High earners in the US almost certainly have high quality health insurance available through their business which exceeds the quality of the default+private healthcare you get in Germany.
Basically, the US is a good place to stay and work and make a lot of money that you can save up, but it's a terrible place to have a family. So if you're a foreigner, it pays to just retain your foreign citizenship, stay in the US a while and save up a big nest egg, then eventually go back home to settle down and have a family and enjoy living off your nest egg.
This is just too much hyperbole. Describing the entire US as a "terrible place to have a family" is just ridiculous. Perhaps in some urban bubble that's the case, but there are wonderful places where raising a family is affordable and enjoyable.
It's not ridiculous at all. It is literally illegal to leave a child alone at home under the age of 12 years now in America (at least in my state, Virginia). That's not what I call "affordable"; child care expenses make it impossible for people to have children in this environment.
The US is so varied, it is like saying Europe. I can't imagine anyone not being able to find a part of the US they find appealing.
Like pretension? Portland calling here. Like Theatre? NYC calling. Like the cold? Alaska on the line. Like surfing? Hawaii here. Like the great outdoors? Pick one of a million places.
You just can't do that in any individual countries in Europe, as they are all smaller than most US states, with far less varied environments.
The German family gets a good amount of subsidies from the company to stay here in the US, so I think that has to be one of the primary factors in them deciding to stay.