by Mir Hassan and Ali Abbas 23 September 2023
Throughout history, in every society and civilization, revolutionary minds have been responsible for pioneering countless groundbreaking innovations, significantly pushing their societies forward and gaining an advantage (be it economic or strategic) over their rivaling societies, states, or nations. Intellectuals and their intellectual ingenuity are necessary to push forward any society towards progress, development, and prosperity. In fact, Plato even went so far as to say that societies should be ruled by the intellectuals. But what happens when the intellectuals of a society start to abandon it for another? What happens when the people who are supposed to be the “future” of their states decide to leave and become the future of the rival states instead? The result is Brain drain, and a country in the heart of Asia is grappling with the numerous consequences it entails.
In the labyrinth of Pakistan’s socio-economic landscape, the phenomenon of “brain drain” casts a long and daunting shadow. Brain drain is a phenomenon that refers to the emigration or outflow of highly skilled, educated, and talented individuals and intellectuals from one country or region (usually country of origin) to another country or region that offers better economic opportunities (such as better wages, working conditions, and professional prospects) as well as better social security (such as better living conditions and improved quality of life). This phenomenon can have significant impact on economic, social, and political landscape of Pakistan (the source country), which experiences a loss of valuable human capital, and the destination country, which benefits from an influx of skilled workers.
Pakistan has been facing the challenge of brain drain for decades, with roughly 9 million Pakistanis living abroad, with approximately 400,000 skilled workers leaving Pakistan in the first six months of 2023 alone. The phenomenon of brain drain has plagued Pakistan for many years, with highly educated and skilled individuals leaving the country in pursuit of better prospects overseas. While globalization has opened up opportunities for talent mobility, it has also led to the outflow of Pakistan’s most valuable human capital.
Causes:
There are many reasons that factors that lead to brain drain in Pakistan. One of the primary drives of brain drain is the lack of attractive job prospects in Pakistan. High unemployment rates, low wages, and limited career growth opportunities compel talented individuals to seek employment abroad. Roughly 60% of Pakistan’s population is under 30 years of age, much of which suffers unemployment. The youth of the country feels that their skills and abilities are not properly recognized and compensated by their country, which causes them to seek opportunities abroad in countries that are more open to providing more than fair (even ideal) compensation to them for their talents. As a result, many of the brightest, best, and most talented individuals within Pakistan are siphoned off by foreign countries.
Lack of adequate security is another major cause of brain drain. Pakistan suffers from a multitude of obstacles that severely vandalize its internal stability. Political turmoil makes the legislative and government policies unpredictable as well as cause divisions within local communities on the bases of political affiliation, fueling social unrest and dissidence. The insecurity created due to the political turmoil is further exacerbated by terrorism, rising crime rates, and ethnic (and religious) violence that keeps the populace on edge and fearful for their security. As Abraham Maslow described in his hierarchy of needs, security is the 2nd most sought after human need (1st being physiological needs), and when the people fail to find adequate security at home, they look towards other countries that offer this much needed security.
Another factor that leads to brain drain is educational opportunities within Pakistan. The educational institutions within Pakistan are extremely inadequate and suffer from a lack of quality as well as quantity. The government has previously tried repeatedly (and still does) to address the issue by establishing new schools and educational institutions, but the supposed benefit of this increase in quantity is checked and nullified due to the rapidly increasing population of Pakistan, and where the quantity of the educational institutions is being address, their quality of education is neglected and remains abysmally low. This propagates the feeling among the youth that they aren’t getting a decent chance to develop and foment their skills and talents.This inadequacy of educational institutions in Pakistan, both in terms of quality and quantity, forces many students to seek higher education abroad where they believe that they will get a much better change to cultivate their abilities, and upon completion of their studies, they often opt to remain abroad for better employment prospects rather than return back to Pakistan.
It is not only the youth however that is choosing to go abroad for better educational opportunities, as the lack of emphasis on research and development infrastructure in Pakistan discourages scientists and researchers from pursuing their careers within the country, causing them to go abroad and provide other countries benefits with the many innovations and researches that Pakistan could potentially have gained.
Impact:
Brain drain has various consequences on multiple sectors of Pakistan. One such impact is on the economy of Pakistan. As much of the skilled and technical workers leave for other countries, a shortage of skilled workers starts to form. This further leads to reduced economic productivity as Pakistan loses the skilled workers who could contribute to its development and progress. Not only is the economic development is hindered due to this, but so is innovation and technological progress.
Healthcare and education sectors also suffer adversely from brain drain as many healthcare professionals and educators (professors and teachers) depart for other countries. This departure of trained and skilled professionals leads to shortages of doctors and nurses, deteriorating the quality of healthcare provided and reducing the overall living quality of the average people, whilst simultaneously putting evermore pressure on the present staff (doctors and nurses), potentially causing them to start preferring going abroad as well. The education sector faces a similar dilemma as well as many trained educators chose to go abroad, causing the quality of local education to decline, which further causes the youth (students) to look for education abroad, thus creating a detrimental cycle of deterioration in educational sector within Pakistan.
Although brain drain has many adverse impacts on the source country, it can potentially have some beneficial outcomes as well. One such beneficial outcome is Remittances. Many expatriates send remittances back to their home countries, which can provide financial support to their families and contribute to the source country’s economy, in fact in 2021, over $30 billion worth of remittances were sent back to Pakistan. Furthermore, Pakistani’s living abroad form the “Pakistani diaspora” that propagates, shares, and offers exposure of the Pakistani culture and traditions to communities and societies abroad. According to UN, Pakistan has the world’s 6th largest diaspora, with the majority living in the Middle East. This can better expose the Pakistani culture and society on an international level, garnering international attention to issues concerning Pakistan and its surrounding (Kashmir Issue).
Mitigation:
The government of Pakistan can take various actions to control the phenomenon of brain drain and mitigate its effects. One major initiative Pakistan’s government can take is to offer incentives and support to entrepreneurs and intellectuals so that they feel adequately valued and compensated for their talents and skills. This can range from monetary and financial assistance and rewards or honorary awards and recognitions. The government can further encourage entrepreneurial activities by providing young entrepreneurs with low interest loans and counseling, and providing scholarships and awards to young scholars displaying intellectual qualities.
Another method to control brain drain is to improve the existing educational structure. The government should increase the budget allocated to the educational sector so that they can improve the education system adequately (quantity and quality) so the educators do not feel the need to look abroad for better employment whilst the students can get accessibility to the quality education that can develop and hone their skills and talents to perfection, and prepare them to become future intellectuals and entrepreneurs. However this can only be significantly achieved through adequate budget allocation towards the education and research sector.
Furthermore, the government can reverse brain drain and introduce initiatives to encourage expatriates to return to Pakistan and serve the source country once more rather than continue serving a different country. The government can achieve this through offering attractive job opportunities and support for reintegration to the expatriates.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Brain drain is one of the major challenges that Pakistan faces today and that actively hinders the development and progress of Pakistan as it deprives Pakistan of its best and most brilliant minds, skilled and trained professionals, and aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators, as they choose to abandon their home country in pursuit of better opportunities and success in foreign countries which they feel they may not achieve in Pakistan.As a result of this exodus, Pakistan suffers various challenges, ranging from economic losses to shortage of trained professionals. By addressing and attempting to sort the factors that contribute to brain drain, such as lack of adequate security, insufficient economic and professional opportunities, and inefficient education sector, Pakistan can mitigate the adverse impacts of brain drain that relentlessly corrode the economic and innovative capabilities of Pakistan and thus drive the technological, economic, and societal advantages from them to the utmost extent, so that Pakistan may better use the advantages offered by them rather than let foreign countries make use of their capabilities. In this way, Pakistan can finally head towards substantial development and eventual prosperity.
Mir Hassan is a Lecturer, Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS
Ali Abbas is an Alumni, Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS