Thousands of Alicantinos emigrate

SINCE the start of the economic crisis seven years ago, thousands of Alicante residents have been forced to emigrate in search of a brighter future. Many have succeeded. Others, however, undertook a journey of return. The government has now released emigration figures for Alicantinos, although their reasons for leaving is not stated.

In 2012, 2,242 left, in 2013 the figure rose to 2,870, while in the first six months of 2014 it was 1,637. In total, 6,749 left from 2012 to June last year, the fourth highest province for emigration figures behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Deputy Secretary of Economy, Julian Lopez Milla, said: “The reality is that thousands of people are leaving our labour market for various reasons, either to another community or another country.”

There are now calls on the regional government to stop the drain and to work with universities to support young people and encourage self-employment.