The strongest determination of external labour mobility is given by the economic development level from the country of destination and the superior equivalent income that might be obtained by wage employment or entrepreneurship, as compared with the country of origin. Labour immigrants represent the overwhelming share of immigrants (OECD, 2008). For less developed countries, labour migration generates potential losses that cannot be substituted by remittances or other “soft” advantages which pertain to the labour market due to the increasingly longer period of temporary migration. In the present paper we highlight the shifts in size and intensity of labour mobility flows for Romanians in the last decade. It is underpinned that the highest mobility propensity was registered among youths who, paradoxically to the economic growth context couldn't find adequate jobs in the country and accepted employment abroad - under conditions of underemployment, over- qualification and sometimes even in other fields of activity than the professional training profile. The first 5 countries of destination change the hierarchy in the Romanians' preferences. This change of destinations signifies also a change of the structure according to educational level and profile, decreasing the share of those with tertiary training, but not also the absolute number which is increasing. Quantitatively, we lose more high-skilled youths.