More people are leaving the country than are arriving in the search for a job.

The number of people leaving Spain to look for work is now greater than the number of immigrants who arrive in the country in search of a job.

The National Statistics Institute, INE, has calculated that half a million people have left Spain this year, of whom more than 50,000 are Spaniards. Meanwhile the number of immigrants to arrive in 2008 and 2009 was down by more than 50%. The general sub-director of the INE considers that the exodus will continue until 2020.

This year 450,000 people are expected to arrive in Spain, compared to the 580,850 who will leave the country in search of a job. Since 2008 the deterioration of the Spanish labour market has been unstoppable, with unemployment reaching 21.52%, and few thinks that number has reached its peak.

Currently foreigners represent 10.28% of the total number of people affiliated to the Spanish Social Security system. The Partido Popular is expected to overturn the legislation which allows an immigrant who has been in the country for three years to apply for residency. If the immigrant has been in an illegal situation for those three years, the PP plans to deny the residency option.

Currently there are 5,144,269 immigrants living legally in Spain with current residency papers. Of those 2,476,334 come from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and the rest, 2,667,935 come from countries such as Morocco, Ecuador, Colombia, China, Bolivia and Peru among others.

Source:www.typicallyspanish.com