One of my neighbors went to Chile because his earnings there would be less but will go much farther than here. The job market for welders here is weak. Skilled labor will seek work elsewhere when the economy fails locally. Florida lost people, many/most are the construction workers who find themselves without work due to the housing bust. No new houses means, no plumbing workers, no tile worker, no cabinetry worker, no landscape worker, no rug installers, no sprinkler installers, no pool construction, no pavers, et.al. Lose jobs = lose people. You don’t have to be a Genius to figure that out.
Chile is very nice on my short list of places I would enjoy spending a few years working. Friendly people, modern first world capital city, healthy legal environment and good economic freedom, beautiful rural areas...