Brain Drain in the Caribbean

Brain Drain in the Caribbean

Over the last several years, the people of the Caribbean have sat aside and watched as the Caribbean, as a whole have battled the infamous brain drain. They have watched as the skilled, and the educated alike have packed up and moved to countries that are far more advanced than the islands they themselves once called "home." Brain Drain, has created a lapse amongst the economic growth within the Caribbean ( ), while countries like Asia, The Middle East and Latin America have all experienced tremendous economic growth ( ). This comes as a direct result of having seventy percent of the highly educated West Indian residing in the more developed world (Mandle, pg. 4); and leaving the Caribbean stripped of affluent workers.

However, it is not these countries fault that Caribbean natives are jumping ship and moving from their native lands. The high percentile of migration can only be blamed on the Caribbean countries themselves. One might ask why? but the answer is not too hard to figure out on one's own. The Caribbean simply does not have the necessary resources needed to keep their citizens satisfied. It cannot offer them the thrill they seek; hence, many are compelled to seek it elsewhere. Unfortunately, this problem has been addressed many times by the Caribbean. In a newspaper article, Clarence Page points out how the decreasing population is actually aiding the downward spiral of Puerto Rico's economy.

Like other CARICOM countries, this emigration tends to include the most highly skilled and productive workers ( ). In comparison they are (Puerto Rico) facing the same problems the CARICOM countries are; less aggregate demands, less consumption, and less savings and investment.

These countries will continue to battle this problem, until a solution has been created; one that can draw the migrating citizens home once more. However, this is very unlikely. Those that choose to leave, are usually from the middle and professional classes and tend to be educators, health care workers, scientist, engineers, professors and political reformers (Nadja Johnson pg 1). There is simply too many push factors that lead them to push and pull factors of why persons choose to leave their homeland includes; increase number of unemployment, reduced number of government funding. Then you have pull factors, from other countries that draw these persons in such as; immigration incentive policies in countries which attract higher educated persons. It allows for these persons to attain employment and sometimes permanent residency (Nadja Johnson pg3).

It is obvious that the cost of migration outweighs the benefits. Yes, these citizens are benefiting themselves with a lasting education and a stable life but their homelands are suffering from severe human resource deficit, as a result of depleting their supply of natural intellectual talent.