New Emigration from Spain? an Examination of Post 2007 Spanish Migration to the UK and Germany

Between the 1990s and 2007 Spain experienced an economic boom that attracted large numbers of immigrants into its labor market and society, becoming one of Europe’s main receiving countries. However, the 2007 financial crisis hit Spain’s economy particularly hard. One of the reasons was its reliance on the real estate and construction sectors, which collapsed after the housing bubble burst. The prolonged crisis, the austerity measures adopted by the government, and the high rates of unemployment, especially youth unemployment (55% in 2013 according to Eurostat), seem to have started new emigration flows from the country. Many of those leaving are former immigrants returning or migrating again. But many others are Spaniards leaving for Europe, to the UK and Germany as main destinations. This study characterizes and examines these two distinct flows: the motivations of those who are emigrating, taking into account the non-economic factors that affect the decision to migrate, the composition of these flows, and the social and labor market integration of these new Spanish migrants in the UK and Germany.