The skyrocketing demand and shortages in professional fields today can be attributed to the inordinate desire by developed countries to boost their professional fields, innovations and productivity. This has perhaps dimmed technological and professional advancement thereby depriving underdeveloped countries steady progress. Such a practice is technically referred to as Brain Drain. In a succinct way, Brain Drain is the emigration or flux of the smartest, educated people, scientists and technocrats from their native countries to work abroad motivated by promising high salary provisions and job security.
In 2000 almost 175 million people: approximately 2.9% of the world’s population was said to be outside their countries of birth for work (Maureen Gitate: 2013, 23). This “Human Capital Flight” poses a threat to the progress of countries which lose human resources, rich technical skills or knowledge. It has increased disparities in the economic and social prospects of countries across the world. The rich and developed countries on the contrary, grow richer and prosperous at the expense of developing countries which continue to stagger or stay backward. The disadvantageous part of brain drain in this millennium is felt in the economic costs which particular developing countries incur in training or educational funding of the future emigrant-skilled personnel who fail to do justice to the resources invested in their education by their native countries. Thus the countries which experience the drain of skilled resources face the getaway of financial capital and in turn, the GDP of developing countries keep fluctuating due to outflow of skilled human capital reciprocated with inflow of hired personnel in governments’ effort to replace the flown human capital.
Of recent, we have globally experienced new shifts in the problem. The once held outcry in various third world countries about theoretical studies with their inability to produce self-sustaining and job creating entrepreneurs has aggravated the menace of unemployment. It’s on record today that the lack of prior knowledge of the employer in a given labor market will tantamount into long years of unemployment. Moreover, in some places, it necessitates a job seeker to offer a bribe to attain a job, yet the female due to the lack of working ethics, the male employers have victimized the women turning them into objects of sexual gratification for their lust.
Technocrats on the other hand, being deprived of proper working environment, low salary enumeration, sabotage of their research and innovations, pressure and poor working conditions, many have resorted to fleeing their native countries in search for greener pastures. They have perfectly done well in various fields abroad. As incentives for work, their salaries are ever increased and both insurance and assurance are incontestable wherever they are.
The 21st century with its provisions has created a shift in the traditional conception of brain drain. Today we hear less of skilled personnel fleeing their countries. Companies in developed countries, taking advantage of the creeping economies of poor nations, have advertised demand for casual workers. The most heartbreaking fact of this is that poor people sell off their precious properties to secure a contract for two or more years hoping to elevate their economic standards. Many even after the sale, they still fail to secure a contract yet those who get such contracts work in dehumanizing conditions characterized by long hours of work, low payments, mistreatment, sexual harassment for the females and to the extreme, some have culminated into death due to the work load which is not in extension to their bodily strain or murdered by their employers. Thus I no longer consider “Brain Drain,” but rather; “Strain Drain”- a modern form of slavery.
Due to the heavy yoke laid upon humanity in this century, it’s no longer a problem to be dealt by individuals alone. There is a need for collective consciousness to remedy the situation. The individualistic, capitalistic and egoistic tendencies for personal enrichment at the expense of others need to be wiped out.
We need to remember that the existential inability of the other person to pursuit his living in a humanized manner simultaneously depict our spiritual immaturity. We mirror each other! Egoism which lure us into inhibiting our true selves is but for a little while. All religions therefore, ought to awaken the ethical and moral integrity of persons in their exhortations.
Owing to the globalism of the challenges brought about by brain drain and strain drain, particular countries ought to alleviate and nurse the situation. In the first place, education system which is predominately theoretical in nature need to be revised and more emphasis given to practical skills to equip nationals with skills of self-sustenance through job creation. Secondly, governments should strongly offer checks and balances in various sectors to mitigate against corruption and its manifestations. Finally governments should develop centers for scientific research and high tech entrepreneurship together with tax holidays for local entrepreneurs as a way of encouraging influx of national working abroad to invest in the economic and technological advancements of their nations.
