Foreigners go home

I don´t think anyone will be surprised to see that there has been a major drop in the number of German and British citizens registered with their councils in the Balearics. It comes as the latest census figures in Spain show that the population has fallen as immigrants return home because of a lack of jobs. The economic recession has taken its toll on all, non-Spaniards included. Also, do you think that all foreigners are registered with their councils? I sincerely doubt it. I know many British residents who refuse to register with their council for a number of reasons. The number of British residents in the Balearics has fallen by almost 2'000 with Calvia alone losing almost one thousand. The poor rate of exchange between sterling and the euro, the lack of employment and fears over their children´s education has all led to the decrease in the foreign population. This state of affairs usually happens during a recession. It is nothing new. But as soon as the economy starts to grow again, the non-Spaniards also return. This has been a long, hard recession and unemployment in Spain has reached the five million mark. There are forecasts that it could even increase even further. But I still believe that the Balearics are one of the best places to live in the world. These islands have something for everyone. Roll on the good times and let us hope that the foreign community will start to increase again rather than decline.