Departure of skilled professionals

Pakistan is facing a severe brain drain crisis as a significant number of its citizens, including highly skilled professionals, are moving abroad in search of better opportunities. In the first six months of the current year, over 800,000 Pakistanis have emigrated, about 100,000 of whom are highly trained individuals such as doctors, nurses, engineers, IT experts and accountants.

The surge in emigration has been a growing concern for our country in recent years, but the departure of highly trained professionals has intensified the issue. The nation is grappling with multiple challenges that contribute to this brain drain, including a crumbling economy, political instability, rising unemployment, soaring inflation and the prevalence of extremist ideologies. These factors have created an environment that pushes skilled individuals to seek better prospects abroad.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 832,000 individuals — 400,000 of whom are educated and qualified professionals — have left the country by June this year. The figures for 2022 — during which 225,000 Pakistanis emigrated — are three times higher than those for 2021; while 2020 had seen 280,000 individuals leaving the country. Since both 2020 and 2021 were pandemic years with global travel restrictions in place, it makes the current figures even more concerning.

The brain drain crisis has far-reaching consequences for a developing country like Pakistan. Its healthcare sector suffers from the departure of doctors and nurses. The loss of skilled engineers and IT experts hampers technological progress and industrial development in the country.

Brain drain diminishes productivity, deterring economic growth and causing dependency on expatriate remittances which exposes the economy to global instability. Departing skilled workers disrupt families, fracturing social unity and dynamics. The nation forfeits precious intellectual capital crucial for advancing research, education and societal advancement.

Underlying factors regarding Pakistan’s brain drain also involve political instability, life-threatening social deviance, extremist upsurge, absence of quality employment and more.

The country’s economy is crumbling, leading to limited job opportunities and inadequate wages for skilled professionals. Soaring inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the population, making it challenging to sustain a decent standard of living.

Frequent changes in government and political unrest create an uncertain environment, deterring foreign and domestic investments. Inconsistent policies thwart business growth and undermine confidence in the government.

There is an absence of foolproof security too. The rise of extremist ideologies has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among professionals and their families. Persistent security challenges in certain regions discourage professionals from staying in the country.

There is a dire need to prioritise a quality education as well as job creation in sectors with a demand for skilled professionals. We should offer competitive salaries and benefits to incentivise skilled individuals to stay in the country; establish transparent governance systems to build trust in institutions and attract favourable market; ensure policy consistency to provide businesses and professionals with a predictable environment; work to promote education, research and vocational training to empower youth with job-relevant skills and stimulate research-driven economic growth; tackle extremist ideologies to improve the overall security environment; and launch social welfare programmes to provide a safety net for vulnerable populations, including skilled professionals.

Brain drain crisis is a pressing issue that demands urgent attention and collective efforts from the government and stakeholders. There is need to embark upon a comprehensive reforms programmes in various sectors to create an environment that ensures growth and opportunities for citizens. It is crucial for the country to address the underlying causes of brain drain and work towards creating a conducive environment for its skilled workforce to flourish and contribute to its development and progress.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.