Spain brain drain reaches unprecedented levels

As Spain's jobless rate soars, its youth are heading overseas in search of work

Spain’s youth unemployment crisis has driven record numbers of young Spaniards away from the country in search of jobs elsewhere – in Europe and beyond.

Official exodus numbers are difficult to come by, but estimates put the figure at more than 280,000 Spaniards who left the country in 2012 in the hope of finding work. The most popular destinations are Germany, the UK, Argentina and Venezuela…

This fascinating article by German newspaper Deutsche Welle reports on the phenomenon, featuring full and frank interviews with some young Spaniards who have found the situation in their home country untenable.

Highly educated, often tri-lingual, willing to work and increasingly desperate, the article’s case studies are a depressing peek at the situation facing millions of young Spaniards who are being failed by their own country, where youth unemployment stands at 55 per cent.

As talk turns to a ‘lost generation’, the silver lining appears to lie beyond Spain’s borders in places like Germany – where youth unemployment is just six per cent, and the UK – where job opportunities are forthcoming for those Spaniards with a good grasp of English and a willingness to lower their professional expectations for the time being.