The Diplomat
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spain has become the most popular European destination for those thinking of relocating abroad due to factors such as the mild climate, the cost of living, the health system or low levels of crime.
According to a study by financial services provider Remitly, online searches for relocation abroad grew by 29% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on this data, the company has used Google global searches to discover which are the most popular destinations for the inhabitants of each country and has found that Spain is the favourite relocation location in twelve countries, which places it in third place in the world ranking, just behind Canada and Japan, and in first place on the European list, just ahead of Germany.
Specifically, Spain was the most popular destination in the Netherlands and in Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden, mainly because of the year-round mild climate and relatively low cost of living compared to other European countries. Apart from that, South American citizens also showed interest in Spain as a main destination, probably because of the common language, the good Spanish health system and the low levels of crime.
Canada was the most popular destination for a large number of countries, with Japan coming in second on the list. The top ten ranking included countries such as Australia. Germany, Switzerland and Portugal, while the United States came in ninth place. The Spanish, on the other hand, chose France as the main destination to move to, probably due to the proximity of both countries and the greater variety of work opportunities.
According to the study, Spain attracts a certain profile of professional workers, including experts in the digital world, journalists and emergency health personnel, a trend that could also be observed before the pandemic. In these sectors, local supply does not always match the demand for jobs, offering skilled immigrants the opportunity to enter the Spanish labour market. In addition to their job opportunities. Apart from this, Spain also enjoys one of the lowest costs of living in Europe, which allows immigrants to maximise their earnings while living in the country so that they can send money back to their country of origin and support their families.
Remitly, the first independent digital remittance company in the US, landed last September in Spain, the country that offers the highest number of remittances among the main partners of the European Union. “2020 has undoubtedly been a year for reflection and it is not surprising to see that many people are looking for a change of scenery, which will possibly become a reality when travel around the world resumes”, said Santiago Pérez Olano, head of the company’s Southern Europe region.
“As the study shows, there is a wide variety of destinations to which different nationalities want to move. Whether they move to find better job opportunities or a better quality of life, many of the immigrants will need to send money to the destination country. Knowing how important sending that remittance is to the recipient, we hope that Remitly can add her grain of sand and make that process as pleasant as possible”, he added.
