New research published by staffing agency Adecco Spain reveals the economic crisis and the extremely high unemployment rate of 20.04% has forced an increasing number of Spaniards to move abroad in order to find work.

Between April 2008 and April 2010, the number of adult Spanish nationals who live abroad has increased by +9.2% or 118,145 individuals to more than 1.3 million. During the same period, the number of job seekers who want to work abroad has doubled. The most affected regions of the country are the Canary and the Balearic Islands, where business consists mainly of tourism and is therefore obviously seasonal.

The countries most sought after by job seekers who wish to work abroad are the US, the UK, France, Italy and Germany. The most sought after 'new' countries to work in are Norway and Sweden.

The typical profile of a job seeker who wishes to work outside Spain is that of a young man between the ages of 25 and 35 who is highly qualified in engineering, architecture or Information Technology.

This 'brain-drain' phenomenon is enhanced by the fact that Spanish employers increasingly concentrate on potential growth markets outside Spain. 50% of revenues generated by IBEX 35 companies already comes from outside Spain.

To read the full report in Spanish language please click here