evidence: It has forced Northern Ireland to face a daunting economic task: how to stop so many students and qualified graduates from leaving and never coming back. The problem is concerning for the future, with no signs of slowing. It continues to stunt growth in the economy with fewer people able to take on high-skill jobs in the region. Sometimes called the "brain drain", senior economist at Ulster University’s business school Dr Esmond Birnie says the problem is best explained as the "net out migration" of graduates and professionals. [...] Wanting to live in a more diverse area is one thing that pushes young people away from Northern Ireland and pulls them to other university hubs, Harper’s study of around 300 graduates found. But he acknowledges that the causes of the brain drain are "multi-factored", pointing to graduate employment opportunities, the social life and – most importantly, he says – the lack of community relations between Protestant and Catholic communities, the former generally being unionist and the latter nationalist. [...] Belfast has a booming tech and IT industry after all. But it may not be enough to attract students and graduates like Abby, Cara and James back. Harper’s study found that 88 per cent of graduates from Northern Ireland have no plans to return.