India's contribution to the world's talent pool

Of the many differences between Pakistan and India, one of the more important is the development of the educational systems in the two countries. Over time India has been able to develop science and technology institutions that match those in the West. Fed by a large population, India has overtaken China and is now the world's most populous country. There are millions of people in India who want to be educated in modern sciences and technologies.

The institutions are churning out well-educated young people who cannot be absorbed by the domestic economy. Indian analysts argue that the country lacks the infrastructure to absorb the educated, meaning that many professionals see migration as the most viable path. Canada, Britain and even China have highlighted their openness to skilled workers from India, which could lead to a realignment of global talent flows. There are now several large Indian diaspora in several parts of the world. "These people who want to leave India might stay only because there is no option," said Ashwini Deshpande, the head of the economics department of Ashoka University. "But if India wants to benefit from their expertise, then India needs to develop that ecosystem."

Germany – faced with a serious demographic problem (a declining and aging population) is making a determined effort to bring well-trained and qualified Indians to the country. Germany's ambassador to India made a pitch for skilled Indians to go to his country. His statement was a direct jab at the United States over its crackdown on the arrival of foreigners to their country including those badly needed by the country's industry and educational system.

In what he described as a call to all highly skilled Indians, the diplomat, Philip Ackermann, posted a video on September 23, 2025 to social media, playing up the prospects for skilled Indians in Germany. "Our migration policy works a bit like German car – it's reliable, it's modern, and it is predictable," Ackermann said in the video. "And you don't have to fear a full brake at a top speed. We do not change our rules fundamentally overnight."

The tone as well as the content of the German ambassador's message contrasted with recent comments from Washington where President Trump on September 19, 2025 signed a proclamation that adds a $100,000 fee for new applicants for H-IB visas, which offer foreign workers like software engineers a chance to be employed in the United States. In the southern state of Telangana, where H-1B aspirants form a powerful constituency, leaders demanded that New Delhi take a tougher line with Washington. "The suffering of our Telegu techies will be unimaginable," said Telangana Chief Minister Revanth on social media.

Indian IT giants form the backbone of $200 billion services industry that provides offshore technology work for foreign clients. But the companies also hire extensively in the United States and many of their employees are Indians on H-1B visas. Major firms at the centre of the export model, such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys, saw their share prices tumble after the levy of the visa fee.

Over 62 per cent of IT service exports go to the United States, according to Nasscom, a trade group that represents the industry. Prasanto Roy, a Delhi-based consultant who advises US technology firms, said Indian software exporters should further prioritise diversifying their customer base. This is where, as discussed later, Germany enters the picture. For the moment staying with the views expressed by Indian experts, on X, some Indians used the hashtag #BrainGain to call for returning talent to build domestic industry. Others said it should force the country to face hard truths.

"Indian immigrants should first accept the fact resentment and jealousy in the United States is probably going increase as Indian immigrants succeed in America," said Atal Agarwal, who was previously on an H1-B visa and now owns a company that helps Indians find tech work. "Our talent can come to India and innovate here, design here," Piyush Goyal, India's commerce and industry minister in the cabinet headed by Narendra Modi. Arnav Gupta, who runs an AI company in India, said that he has grown tired of watching "our best engineers bail for Silicon Valley perks". Agarwal said places with living standards similar to the United States, such as Canada and European nations, are opening doors, as is China, which recently announced a new visa for young science and technology workers. American companies may respond by investing more in what are known as global capability centres in India – offshore hubs that handle advanced design, data analytics and research for multinational companies.

Germany would like to attract some of these Indians who would find it difficult to raise the resources needed to apply for the America visa. Already about 124,000 Indians work in Germany, according to data provided by the government in Bonn. Most of them have jobs in computing, science or technology, making them among the top earners there.

"The average Indian working in Germany earns more than the average German worker," Ambassador Ackermann said in the video, which included a link to information on how to begin the visa application process and where to learn the German language since Indians coming to Germany have to learn a new language, which many find daunting. Among the 50 Indians, awarded a two-year Erasmus scholarship to complete a master's programme in the European Union, nearly half chose to study in Germany.

Germany needs tens of thousands of skilled workers to fill open jobs, especially in its technology sector. As many as 387,000 jobs remained unfilled as of March 2025, according to the German Institute for Economic Research. That number is expected to more than double in the next two years. Every fifth citizen in Germany is now older than 67, and the country's baby boomers – born between 1955 and 1970 – are beginning to retire, and there are not enough young workers making payments into the social system needed to care for the old. "But reports about attacks on foreigners and the rise in popularity of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party have spooked many young Indians," said Franziska Giffey, Berlin's state senator for the economy who toured India in the summer of 2025 in an effort to attract more Indian workers to the German capital. In her speeches, she borrowed from the line taken by Ambassador Alkermann.