Genealogy of Depopulation Processes in Spain: A Case Study of Emigration among Young University Students

In the mid-20th century, the region of Extremadura suffered an important exodus of unskilled young people in search of work opportunities that would allow them to survive. Nowadays, the phenomenon is repeating itself, but with certain differences. The current emigrant is somewhat more adult, more qualified and without a specific job in the place of destination. The current study focuses on a survey carried out at the University of Extremadura among students in the areas of social sciences, humanities, legal sciences and economics in order to understand their intention to emigrate abroad once they have finished their studies. We found that there is no distinction between genders and that most of the students have direct or indirect cases of international mobility in their environment, which encourages them to take this option into account if, once they have finished their studies, their job aspirations are not satisfied in their place of origin. This reflects certain similarities with the migratory movement that took place in the mid-20th century; however, today, the objectives pursued with this mobility are quite different.