A total of 1.25 million migrant workers arrived in Germany from Eastern Europe and from Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal between May 2013 and May 2014, up from slightly over 1 million registered between May 2012 and May 2013, according to figures from the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit - BA), cited by Staffingindustry.com.

However, the number of Romanian and Bulgarian labour migrants increased significantly in this period, by 54.4%, to 239,995.

Frauke Wille, a spokesperson for BA, described this development as "not particularly remarkable", considering that since January 2014, citizens of Romania and Bulgaria can work without restrictions across the European Union.

The average wages for Romanian and Bulgarian workers are lower than the average salary of German workers. If a Romanian or a Bulgarian earns EUR 1,860 per month, a German worker receives EUR 2,920, reports Staffingindustry.com.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com