30.06.2018. » 14:21 | ACDC

Brain drain OP-ed

More recently, international migrations of highly educated experts and scientists (brain drain) attract great attention and presents a major problem for the Balkan countries, according to some surveys, up to one third of current students are planning to go abroad after studies. This project is supported by GIZ/DIMAK

International labor migration is one integral part of the globalization process, according to some data, the movement of labor in Western countries is highly developed, 3-5% of the population is working in another country, but in these countries the population movements are twofold. The Balkan countries face the problem of migration only in one direction, there is only the outflow of the population.

The brain drain is not just a political and economic problem of a society, it is already a global problem, since this process continues the long-initiated polarization of the world on poor and rich and the developed and underdeveloped contryes, from these regions young and capable are leaveing this society, the ones thas should develop it and lead it forward.

In the last few decades, countries from our region have recorded high level of migration of young, highly educated cadres, the countries remain poorer, they remain without cadres and without the money spent on their education, this money is not at all small.

How to solve this problem?

It is easiest to say that states should retain young educated people, but the state has no capacity to stop these migrations, ifthaz had capacitz migration will not even occur. The state should improve the general conditions in society, but how to do it if the most educated young people leave the country?

According to an old saying, "If life gives you only a lemon, you should make a lemonade."

The fact that young educated people go abroad should be used in a positive direction. By maintaining active cooperation with such graduates, you do not lose completely, but in some way you can even gain something, these young people abroad continue to acquire new knowledges and to upgrade it. By engaging such "escaped" experts on our projects, that is, by returning their knowledge as affirmative experts, or by working for example, through "work on distance" (in the conditions of modern telecommunications no physical return to the country of origin is required) or through the use of their expert knowledge for training local workers and students.

In order to achieve this idea, good communication with the diaspora is necessary, organized and coordinated activity of the professional public and state institutions.

Author

Aleksandar Rapajic

This project is supported by GIZ/DIMAK