The departure of people from their home countries to foreign countries in search of better opportunities, superior platforms, social security, political stability, and quality of life is simply known as brain drain while brain retention does the opposite. What does it do? Through brain retaining, those brains and talented people are encouraged to stay in their home country.
There is a growing tendency in ambitious young people to migrate to developed countries for a better living. They believe their potential will be fully explored in those countries compared to developing or underdeveloped countries. Factors like limited career advancement, social issues, political instability, poor working conditions, and economic instability overtly influence talented people to leave their homeland in search of a better quality of life.
Brain drain: Effects on the source country
Because of brain drain, the source country is affected in many ways. The depletion of skilled individuals can deter a country’s overall growth and innovation. Due to the greater outflow of talent, tax revenues can also be decreased, disrupting a country’s economic development. Moreover, attracting foreign investment and maintaining a competitive position in the global market becomes difficult for the home country as a result of talent outflows.
Most importantly, the existing individuals can never fill the vacancy of skilled professionals. It’s like a hole that is difficult to fill up. Even if there are some positive impacts of brain drain including increased remittances and diaspora networks, the negative effects are more severe. That’s why, the reverse of brain drain is needed.
Reverse brain drain: How it works
When human capital moves in reverse from a developed country to a less developed country, it is called a reverse brain drain. By reversing brain drain, talented individuals can be motivated to return and stay in their home country. To reverse that brain drain, the government can take initiatives to reform the overall existing policies so that the intellectual elites may come back to their country of origin even if it’s a less developed one. Countries like India and China have undertaken attractive policies for expatriates to come back to their home countries thus ensuring to leverage the skills and expertise of those individuals in their country of origin. So, a proper environment has to be created to attract them to be in their home countries.
Effective ways to retain talent and reverse talent outflow
Economic Development
Home countries, being rapidly economically developed, can attract talented individuals to come back to their home countries. Most people prefer to be in an economically sound country that will drive them to lead a desirous and fulfilling life just the way they’ve always dreamt of.
Investment in education and training
If the government prioritizes huge investments in education and research, it will surely motivate aspirational individuals to stay in their motherlands. In most cases, highly aspired individuals or highly skilled professionals want to leave their country only because of not getting enough opportunities to grow professionally.
Better quality of life
The developed nations provide better education, healthcare facilities, a working environment, a broader research arena, social security nets, and whatnot. These stimulate people to settle in the developed nations rather than their home countries. What the developing nations can do is to provide those skills and opportunities that individuals are seeking. It will result in retaining the brain.
Political stability
The politically unstable situation somewhat becomes an obstacle to the road of development in the case of developing or underdeveloped nations. It discourages many young and talented minds from permanently settling in their homelands. So, political stability must be ensured to retain brains.
Positive work environment:
A work-friendly and safe environment can attract skilled people to stay in their home country. If the work environment is not favorable, then it will be natural for anyone not to be interested in working there, no matter how many other additional facilities are provided. So, it is essential to maintain a work-friendly environment.
When talented and skilled professionals choose to return to their home country to be settled, it strongly indicates that the country has become an attractive destination for talents and there is ample potential for them to grow further. Therefore, the focus should be on developing a nation that provides ample opportunities for the people to grow.
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Writer
Taspia
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE