Germany was the most popular destination for economic migrants from Latvia during the first half of 2011, new figures have suggested.

According to data from the Latvian state employment agency, 34.6 per cent of consultations relating to labor migration over the period in question related to job opportunities in Germany, the Baltic Course quotes LETA as reporting.

The statistics from European job mediation network EURES also show that countries of choice for Latvian workers include the UK, Norway and Finland, with most of those seeking work abroad between the ages of 25 and 45.

Sectors that jobseekers were found to be most interested were agriculture (39.7 per cent) and hospitality and catering (13.6 per cent), followed by the manufacturing industry (13.3 per cent), construction (12.4 per cent) and healthcare and social services (9.3 per cent).

In related news, young, educated individuals from Spain are also heading to Germany for work, as low levels of employment in their own country prompts labor migration, according to Die Welt.

Posted by Alex Donnell