Germany is actively recruiting engineers, nurses and carers from Southern Europe, according to The Daily Telegraph.

And statistics show that the number of Greeks, Italians and Spaniards leaving their crisis-hit homelands and heading to Germany and Switzerland in search of work is continuing to rise.

The Telegraph notes that more than 120,000 Greek professionals have left the country since the start of its economic crisis three years ago. The number of Italians leaving their country rose by just under a third to 79,000 in 2012, while 114,000 Spaniards emigrated, up 6% year-on-year and over a fifth more than in 2008.

According to the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) labour market update for March, the demand for labour is high, with 444,000 reported vacancies nationally over the month – although the BA’s job index is down 12.5% since March 2013.

“Currently, the demand for experts from the mechatronics, energy and electronics, metal, mechanical/automotive engineering, as well as sales and health industries is particularly high,” the report says.