Brain drain continues to be a threat
Young concern
By Taru Bahl

THE exodus of skilled human resources to foreign shores has been a cause of worry for over three decades. If in the early nineties this trend was somewhat stalled, it was thanks to the handsome pay packages being offered by some of the Indian sectors which were riding the crest of a heightened liberalisation phase. But, with the crisis in the South Asian markets and our own dwindling political fortunes, the woebegone situation mouthed by almost every HRD person is "there are no jobs going". And now with foreign universities like those in Australia offering attractive educational courses, you have a whole new set of students who are gearing to make that big leap forward. In spite of strict immigration laws in the USA, there are plenty of students and young professionals who go there and end up staying there. The lure of the lucre is so strong that established companies while sending their managers for training or postings abroad, make them sign a bond/contract to ensure that they do not switch over to another job, in an attempt to stay on.

Modest estimates put the number of trained Indians who settle abroad every year at 7,000. Industry watchers express alarm not at this number but at the ‘real’ brain drain — which is the migration of a few hundred outstanding individuals. This, according to them, should be a matter of national concern. The cost of their training through a massively subsidised public education system cannot be borne by forcing the students to sign a bond, which would stipulate that they put in ‘X’ number of years before they can think of opting out. Not only does this serve as a damper, but it also affects the overall productivity and morale.

A study conducted by the IIT, Mumbai, a few years ago pointed out that 90 per cent of the brain drain was to the USAin the form of engineers, scientists, technicians and computer software professionals. A majority of these immigrants had left India only to take advantage of wider and better opportunities. Their intention was not to stay on permanently. The three factors responsible for changing their decision were the prospects of good career growth and financial emoluments; much better standard of living and the deteriorating socio-economic political conditions back home in India.

While there may be no solutions to the problem of brain drain, attempts to make the job market both challenging and rewarding are the only ways to stall the exodus of talent. This may also help attract some of our settled emigrants back home. With job opportunities shrinking globally, this does not appear far-fetched. Mean-while, emigrants who have been trained at India’s expense can be asked to reimburse the cost of their training or a part of the value of their potential earnings. The IITstudy suggested further measures to combat the problem of brain drain. One was to work out an exhaustive data base of outstanding individuals who have emigrated abroad and then to work on wooing them back. Regular correspondence could be maintained and suitable openings worked out, which would include flexible hiring policies and perks. Even if a third or fourth of the total number can be brought back, the effort according to them would be a success.

However, there is a shool of thought which feels that brain drain isn’t such a bad thing after all. It backs its hypothesis by pointing out that the goods and services which the emigrant would have consumed are now available to the swelling number of career aspirants in India. Also the foreign exchange remitted by them only adds to India’s reserves and improves the quality of life of their families which receive gifts, foreign exchange etc. Had the emigrants stayed on in India in an unemployed capacity, the potential output loss would have been zero. Their families too would have been burdened trying to support them.

Whatever the pros and cons of brain drain, there is a lesson to be learnt for both educational institutions and the businesses which employ trained men and women. Students must acquire skills which are relevant to the market environment. There must be a synergy between the academic curricula of specialised and regular courses and the corresponding industry requirements. Once trained and qualified, there must be every attempt at fully utilising the capabilities of personnel. Healthy job opportunities and a work environment which, instead of stifling allows talent to blossom and flourish can alone hold expertise within the country.