Emigration rising from eurozone borders

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), migrant workers who relocated to Western Europe before the financial crisis are now deciding to return home to nations which are growing economically. A rising number of migrants have been leaving many nations of the eurozone, particularly the ones worst-hit by the economic crisis, said the OECD.

Once a magnet for Eastern European migrant workers, Ireland has witnessed a dramatic reversal in migration trends, with around 34,000 people emigrating in 2010 as well as in 2011 - equal to 1% of its national population.

Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General, says there has been significant re-flow back into Poland and Turkey. The club of industrialised countries, based in Paris, stated that permanent migration to EU members of the OECD had dropped by 3% in 2010 from 2009. Intra-European migration trends had also dropped due to the debt crisis, it added.

Spain witnessed a net emigration in 2011 of 50,000 people. A main factor affecting Spain's migration flow was the shift in growth industries following the fall of the property sector, said Gurria. Spain is now moving into an increasingly diversified economy, requiring different types of labour skills, he said. There are millions of unemployed people and several companies seeking certain skill sets which cannot be matched, added Durria.