As Spain's Economy Worsens, Young Adults Flock to Mexico for Jobs Louis E.V. Nevaer - New America Media
go to original February 2, 2013

Young Spaniards on Avenida Insurgentes in Mexico City. (From left to right, and top row to bottom row): Lorenzo Baladrón, Rafael Avalos, Toni Marí, Alejandro Santos, Almudena Barragán, Claudia Munaiz, Guadalupe Díaz, Cristina Cabrero y Sandra Durán. (Pradip J. Phanse)

MEXICO CITY - The most fashionable accessory in Mexico City this winter is ... a Spaniard.

As the euro crisis shakes Spain to its core, thousands of young Spanish professionals are leaving their homeland in search of employment. The result is a mass exodus of young, educated Spaniards - a massive brain drain, the likes of which have not been seen since the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939.

Mexico, with its historic, cultural and linguistic ties to Spain, has become a leading destination for Spaniards in the Western Hemisphere. Although firm figures are difficult to come by, Mexico's immigration office, the Instituto Nacional de Migracion, reports the number of Spaniards granted work permits in the last quarter of 2012 alone was 7,630 - which does not include the unknown number of Spanish "tourists" who arrived in Mexico during the same period, and who are granted 90 days to apply for work permits.

In upscale neighborhoods in Mexico, like the Condesa district, the familiar lisp of Iberian Spanish is heard with greater frequency at the cafes, bistros and trendy bars. Guadalupe Díaz works for GDS, a company that specializes in expediting immigration services to foreigners in Mexico. She told the Madrid-based newspaper El Pais that the company has seen an uptick in the number of Spanish clients:

"Before [the euro crisis], I had to look for clients. Now, they search me out."

The departure of young, educated Spaniards reflects the deepening economic crisis in Europe, where many expect to see a "lost decade," which presents few career opportunities for those in their 20’s and 30’s. A recent report by Spain’s Dept. of Labor (Encuesta de Población Activa, or EPA) estimated that last year, 166,000 Spaniards between the ages of 16 to 24 left the country looking for work abroad.

Read the whole story at New American Media

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