Brain Drain

Brain Drain or otherwise known as Human Capital Flight is the emigration of trained and skilled individuals to other nations or jurisdictions, due to conflicts, lack of opportunity, health hazards where they are living or for some other reasons. The term “Brain Drain” has gained wide usage in the year 1960s when growth of migration of skilled personnel from developing countries to developed countries accelerated. Brain drain can occur either when individuals who study abroad and complete their education do not return to their home country, or when individuals educated in their home country emigrate for higher wages or better opportunities. The second form is arguably worse, because it drains more resources from the home country. This phenomenon is perhaps most problematic for developing nations, where it is widespread. In these countries, higher education and professional certification are often viewed as the surest path to escape from a troubled economy or confused political situation.

Among the countries in Asia and the Pacific, the country with the largest amount of brain drain is the Philippines, with 7,924,188 migrants. With these, the great majority have a tertiary education. The first wave of Philippine labor migration to the United States was based on skills needed in the farms, factories, and military facilities, the second wave included many more professionals. Doctors, nurses, and engineers traveled to the United States in the 1960s to support its booming economy while young American men were busy fighting in the Vietnam War. It was also at this time that the U.S. Government started to encourage Filipino graduates to study in U.S. universities through generous scholarship and exchange programs for master and doctoral degrees. Many of these students stayed on as professionals and became American citizens. This second wave was small and short lived, but it started the phenomenon now known as “brain drain” as it attracted some of the best and...