How can the European Union tackle ‘brain drain’?

Brain drain is the outflow of skilled workers in search of better wages or better living and working conditions. Places that welcome such a highly educated workforce thrive. But what about the regions left behind?  They become what are called ‘talent development traps’. The skilled labour force shrinks. Productivity decreases. Higher education rates decline. Demographic changes occur. This turns into a vicious circle that forces new generations of young people to consider emigrating.

According to the European Commission, this affects 82 regions, making up almost 30% of the EU population. Portugal is a clear example of the current challenges – and the possible solutions being explored. 30% of Portuguese young people live abroad.  70% of Portuguese immigrants are under the age of 40. To retain skilled young people, the Portuguese government has launched a plan to cut taxes for workers aged 18 to 35. They believe this could help up to 400,000 young people. 

However, the initiative has not deterred young people like Constança and João. Both law graduates are looking for a house to rent – 14,000 kilometres away. They are about to move to East Timor in Southeast Asia. Constança, a 25-year-old lawyer, has found a new job at a law firm there, with much better conditions than in Portugal. ‘There are more perks, from housing allowances to a car and a considerably higher salary than here, which means I will have more purchasing power there than I would here if we wanted to live in, for example, a one-room flat’, Constança explains. 

Like many young Portuguese, Constança and João see Portugal as a land of stubborn unemployment, low wages, high taxes, unaffordable housing and poor working conditions. ‘Beyond feeling frustrated, I think our generation feels irritated. I feel sad, because I love my country, I really love it. And for me, if it wasn’t for these circumstances, if I could find the right conditions here, I wouldn’t leave (Portugal)’, says João. 

In an attempt to address the situation, European Union regions, Member States and also the European Commission itself are participating in what they call the ‘Talent Promotion Mechanism’. Its effects can already be seen on construction sites such as a hospital being built in Évora, in the Alentejo region. An initial investment of some 200 million euros has been made to provide better health services to around half a million people. But also to train and retain qualified health workers in a place particularly affected by brain drain. The region is expected to lose 30% of its population by 2080. 

‘When (the hospital) is finished by the end of next year, as we hope, we will have health professionals here and people will come to this area. We will have specialist technicians and training. In this micro-sector, people will be able to make effective changes over the next two to three years’, explains Tiago Pereira, regional coordinator of the Talent Boost Mechanism.

Regional, national and European authorities expect the hospital and training centre to create up to 2,000 skilled jobs.