According to this news article many Spaniards are leaving their home country in search of jobs in Morocco. As stated in this article the unemployment rate in Spain has hit 26% and it is no longer viewed as " land of economic opportunity". The staggering idea is that Morocco has a 30% unemployment rate, yet Spaniards are willing to leave their families, friends and homes to work in Morocco. Marcos Matinez, a 36yr old mechanic left his wife and two children to work as a mechanic in Morocco. He states that he is not sure when he will see his family again, yet Galicia, Spain has been known as home for generations in his family and he said "No matter where you go in the world you will always be Galician". The trend of Moroccan citizens searching for work in Europe has been reversed to Europeans searching for work in Morocco. According to Mehdi Lahlou, an economics professor at Morocco's National Institute for Statistics and Applied Economics it makes sense as to why Spaniards are moving to Morocco for job security. One of the many reasons accounted for is the fact that Spaniards do not need a visa to enter Morocco and are able to stay for three months. In order to renew their stay the Spaniards have to step on Spanish soil, which is also not a problem because Spanish enclaves in Morocco are considered to be Spanish soil. The currency exchange rate allows European workers to "live like kings" as this article mentions because they have enough money to support themselves as well as travel back and forth where jobs become available.
The current migration of Spaniards to Morocco has increased steadily yet those who do migrate to Morocco face difficult decisions of leaving their families behind until they are able to make enough money to bring their family with them. As in Mr. Martinez's case, he left his wife and two young children behind because he was constantly being layed off work and was uncertain that he would find work the next day. Morocco seemed to be his only option at the time, and even though Morocco is not that far from Spain many Spaniards still face difficulty finding a way into Morocco. The Moroccan government is not as lenient on the rules towards Moroccan born citizens who wish to travel outside of their country to find jobs. The Moroccan unemployment rate is at a staggering 30% which is much higher than other developing countries.
Migration
03/21/2013
8:30PM
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