Expat Jobseekers in Europe: Where are they from and where are they located?

Are you an international company counting on a team of professionals from different backgrounds, speaking different languages and representing different market sectors in Europe? Then you might be wondering how the international lockdown is going to affect you. We are here to help! 

There are 33 million expats currently living in Europe and this number of people who switched countries or came to live and work in the European Union from elsewhere is constantly growing. The country with the highest number of expats is Germany accounting for 9% of the country’s population. Other countries that also have a high number of expats are Spain, Italy, the UK and France. 

Now there is a temporary pause in this migration process so it might be useful to see in more detail what is the current expat saturation according to Europe Language Jobs’ large expat database.

We would like to break the large numbers down and present some statistics per country and give you an insightful overview of the expat jobseekers in Europe on our job board right now. 

Expats living in Germany that are active on our platform

Germany is a country that has had a lot of expats living in the bigger cities like Berlin and Munich. The languages spoken the most by expats are English, Spanish, etc. Expats in Germany are usually students and recent graduates working on entry level positions in sales and customer service.

Expats living in Spain active on our platform:

Spain is the second most desired country by expats with a very high number of English and French speakers that move abroad for career purposes. Madrid and Barcelona are the cities receiving the highest number of expats but Malaga, Valencia and other cities are also of big interest for expats in Spain.

Expats living in France active on our platform:

Another country with a large number of expats in France, with more than 4 million foreign residents registered the majority of which coming from other EU countries. Spanish and English followed by the German language  are the most spoken languages amongst our expat candidates in France.

Expats living in Italy that are active on our platform

Milan as a financial capital of Italy and the capital city Rome attracted a huge amount of expats from the EU to seek work opportunities in all business sectors. The current expats in Italy on our platform speak languages such as English, Spanish, French but also German and Dutch.

Expats living in the United Kingdom that are active on our platform

The UK expat population exceeds 7 million people. The country is also a popular destination for studying abroad and consequently many graduates remain in the country seeking entry level positions in different business sectors. The most spoken languages apart from English are Spanish, French German and the Nordic languages.

Expats living in Ireland that are active on our platform

Ireland has one of the highest numbers of Spanish and Portugese speaking expats according to our platform’s database. Expats looking for a job in Ireland also tend to speak Dutch, German and there are also representatives of the Nordic language speakers on the job market.

Expats living in the Netherlands that are active on our platform

Similar to the UK, the Netherlands is also a well-known destination for EU students following university degrees with many of the student expats deciding to look for job opportunities after graduation in international companies in the Netherlands. Specialists in all commercial sectors from all over Europe live in the Netherlands.

Expats living in Portugal that are active on our platform 

Portugal is another extremely attractive country for Wester and Eastern Europeans that is home to many expats building a life there. Some of the most common job seeking expats in Portugal on our website are French, English, German and Dutch speakers.

Expats living in Austria that are active on our platform

Austria is a country that has had a lot of expats living in the bigger cities like Wien and Salzburg. The languages spoken the most by expats are Spanish, English, Romanian and many others. Expats in Austria are usually students and recent graduates working on entry level positions in sales and customer service.

Expats living in Poland that are active on our platform

The Russian language is highly spoken in Poland followed by Spanish and German spoken by expats living in the country. Many young expats are looking for opportunities in the telecommunication sector with positions of customer service agents and sales representatives. The young generation in Poland has a high command of the most demanded European languages too.

Expats living in the Czech Republic that are active on our platform

There are nearly half a million expats in Czech Republic and according to our expat database the most spoken languages amongst expats are Spanish, English, German and Dutch. 

Expats living in Hungary that are active on our platform

Hungary is a country that has had a lot of expats living in Budapest - nearly 100 000 expats from all over Europe. The languages spoken the most by expats are Spanish, English, German, French,  Dutch and many others.

Expats living in Greece that are active on our platform

Greece has had a lot of expats living in the bigger cities like Athens and Thessaloniki. The languages spoken the most by expats are English, French, German, Dutch and many others. Expats in Greece are usually younger people working on entry level positions in sales and customer service.

Expats living in Belgium that are active on our platform

Belgium is a home to many expats located in cities like Antwerp and Brussels. The languages spoken the most by expats are Dutch (18%), Spanish, Italian, English German and many other European languages. Expats in Greece are usually younger people working on entry level positions in sales and customer service.

Expats living in Denmark that are active on our platform

Denmark is another country that attracts internationals many of which are students from all over Europe following a degree. There is a tendency of those international students to remain expats in Denmark and follow a career path within the country. Some of the most common languages spoken by expats in Denmark on our website are Spanish, English, German, Nordic languages and many others.

Expats living in Switzerland that are active on our platform

Did you know Geneva is known for being the most international city in Europe? The expats registered on our platform from Switzerland also represent this vast international community. Spanish, English, Poprtugese, Dutch and many more different speakers living in Switzerland are looking for jobs with those languages in an international company setting.

Expats living in Sweden that are active on our platform

The number of active expats in Sweden on our job board add up to 11% English speakers, 10% Spanish speakers, 3% German speakers, 2% Norwegian and 2% of Dutch language speakers.

Expats living in Norway that are active on our platform

Expats in Norway are densely located in Oslo. The expats on our platform in Norway are mostly English, Spanish, Swedish, German and Dutch language speakers.

Expats living in Latvia that are active on our platform

Latvia is a country that has had a lot of Russian expats living in the bigger cities but there is also a high number of English, Nordic, German and Spanish language speakers in the capital city Riga.

Expats living in Estonia that are active on our platform

Estonia is another country with a lot of Russian speaking expats. There are also foreigners with native level of English, Spanish, German and Nordic languages.

Expats living in Romania that are active on our platform

Hungarian, French, Spanish and German are between the most spoken foreign languages from expats living in Romania. The country has a lot of expats willing to work in the customer service and support sectors and enjoy life in bigger cities like Bucharest and Cluj.

Expats living in Bulgaria that are active on our platform

Bulgaria is becoming more and more popular amongst expats because of the relatively cheap life expenses and the growing number of international companies with offices in Sofia, Varna and Burgas. Some of the most common languages spoken by expats on our job board are English, French, German and Dutch. Bulgarians are also considered as fluent in many foreign languages because of the focus on languages in their education system. Many Bulgarians have a high level of English, German, French, Spanish and Russian language skills.

People that have already relocated and are actively looking for jobs in Europe are present on our job board. These expat candidates continue to interact with our job board regardless of the current situation. During April, we received over 18 000 new candidates and 40 000 applications, this clarifies how expats in Europe are still looking for career opportunities! Get in touch to start attracting these candidates today!