Internal migration, foreign immigration and out-migration of spaniards abroad: An analysis by educational attainment. is spain a low mobility country?

Abstract

International comparative studies show that Spain is a country with low internal migration rates. However, this argument hides a remarkable geographic heterogeneity. Migration intensities vary by regions and by individuals’ educational attainment. Interprovincial net migration of the less educated native population is well-balanced, except in the case of deconcentration dynamics. Nevertheless, the net migration of high-skilled youth shows dramatic losses and cumulative causation processes. International out-migration of Spaniards is low compared to internal flows. International immigration has contributed to concentration processes of human capital: individuals who have come to the traditional sending provinces in Spain have a low educational level, while high skilled-immigrants have arrived to the same areas that attract high skilled Spaniards.