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Integrating drained brains

25 Jun 2022

We may not have official data that confirms a new wave of brain drain but there are plenty of indications that this economic crisis will leave us depleted of educated and skilled workers. From long queues for passports, the rush to migration agencies, and reports of frequent farewells and an uptick in resignations in many industries like health, IT, and finance, there are signs that people have already begun to leave for better pastures. Brain drain has for years been a problem for the developing world, which has seen its stocks of human capital transfer internationally to the greater benefit of receiving countries, mainly in the developed world. As a concept, brain drain is nothing new for Sri Lanka, which has seen waves of skilled migration throughout history, with spikes of impactful migration seen at several stages post-independence, following the Sinhala Only Act in 1956 and post-1983, for example.  What Sri Lanka may experience this time around may be quite similar to the skilled migration seen in the early 1970s, when a nationalisation drive that resulted in tough living conditions – queues, quotas, restrictions, and shortages – saw many senior professionals leave in search of better prospects for themselves and their families. The current wave is also supported by a relaxation of immigration policy in receiving countries, especially after pandemic-imposed restrictions to skilled migrants over the last two years.  While brain drain is often touted to have both negatives and positives for nations, a sudden wave has enduring consequences on the home economy; it changes the existing skill structure of the labour force, causes sudden shortages of essential skills, and can cause sustained distortions in various industries and occupations. This is why the private sector risks being as heavily impacted as the economy as a whole because skill gaps will impact our recovery plans and our ability to attract investments, while setting the country back on a growth trajectory. Filling gaps in our human capital in the midst of an economic storm will be both arduous and expensive.  There isn’t much that can be done to reverse the strong desire among many young skilled professionals to leave in search of better lives. Even where businesses are able to raise salaries to remain competitive or even peg salaries to the dollar, there’s precious little they can do to combat the feelings of frustration and despondency that have led to the conviction to flee. Promises that ‘things will always get better’ are empty and meaningless to professionals forced to queue for hours for essentials, to switch back to firewood for cooking, to see their loved ones struggle without medicine, or to abandon their dreams of building a new house or buying a new car.   There is of course the favourable aspect of remittances to consider when exporting our professionals. Migrant remittances are a major component of Sri Lanka’s dollar income, but historically, the greater share of remittances come from unskilled workers in the Middle East who fund their families back home through their earnings. Remittances from professional emigrants have always been only an insignificant slice of the total. The need then, is to start building bridges with those set to leave so that Sri Lanka will continue to benefit from its professional expatriate community in the long term. The ways we work are changing and professionals now work in globalised, interconnected ways; there will always be opportunities to tap into the knowledge and skills of Sri Lankans abroad in ways that help their mother country’s growth.  It is important that at policy, business and social levels, there is an organised push to maintain meaningful and productive ties with those that leave. Whether through professional and academic linkages, incentives or programmes, or ventures that meet mutual objectives, it is imperative that at least this time around, Sri Lanka does what it takes to minimise our losses from brain drain.  

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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