Spain seeks to bring back people who left during crisis

Spain is trying to lure back thousands of Spaniards who went abroad to find work when the country's economy went into a downturn.

The Cabinet approved measures Friday it said are aimed at bringing back up to 23,000 people who left after 2009. Spain was in recession between 2011 and 2013.

The 50 measures include lower social security payments for workers and higher grants and scholarships for scientific researchers.

The two-year plan is to cost around 24 million euros ($27 million).

The eurozone debt crisis which buffeted the single currency bloc from 2009 brought high unemployment and triggered a brain drain from southern European countries.

Neighboring Portugal, which witnessed an exodus of tens of thousands of workers, enacted a similar plan last year.