what is brain drain 
brain drain is a slang term that refers to a substantial emigration or migration of individuals out of a country it can result from turmoil the existence of favorable professional opportunities in other countries or a desire to seek a higher standard of living brain drain can also occur at the organizational or industrial levels when workers perceive better pay benefits or upward mobility in another company or industry understanding brain drainbrain drain is the movement of people from one area to another it often occurs between countries and cities where there s a sharp discrepancy in available opportunities individuals might move to look for work or a better standard of living brain drain can also refer to the movement of professionals between corporations or industries for better pay or opportunities brain drain causes countries industries and organizations to lose a core portion of valuable individuals the term is often used to describe the departure of certain professionals including doctors healthcare workers scientists engineers or financial professionals the places they leave are harmed in two ways when these people leave professionals often earn large salaries so their departure reduces consumer spending in that region or possibly in the country overall geographic organizational and industrial brain drainbrain drain can occur on several levels and in several forms geographic brain drain occurs when talented professionals flee one country or region and move to a country that they feel gives them better and more opportunities several common causes can precipitate brain drain on the geographic level they include political instability poor quality of life limited access to health care and a shortage of economic opportunity these factors prompt skilled and talented workers to leave source countries for places that offer better opportunities organizational brain drain involves the mass exodus of talented workers from a company often because they sense instability or a lack of opportunity within the company they may feel that they can realize their career goals more easily at another firm industrial brain drain happens when skilled workers exit not only a company but an entire industry these two forms of brain drain are usually a byproduct of a rapidly evolving economic landscape in which companies and industries that are unable to keep up with technological and societal changes lose their best workers to companies and industries that can causes of brain drainseveral underlying factors can lead to this phenomenon they can vary based on the type of brain drain that occurs some of the main reasons why people choose to leave their home countries regions include most brain drain is geographic but it can also occur as a result of situational factors skilled workers may leave companies and industries when machines and technology replace human labor brain drain is also known as a human capital flight effects of brain drainthe effects of brain drain are felt not only in the area where the brain drain occurs but also where brain gain occurs the place to which individuals move it can often have a chain reaction areas affected by brain drain end up with a dearth of human capital professionals who go elsewhere end up leaving a large gap behind one that isn t always easy to fill consider medical professionals in developing nations who move to parts of the developed world for better opportunities there may not be enough qualified people to replace them when they leave this affects the overall quality of health care another effect on areas that experience brain drain is the loss of revenue governments rely on income taxes to fund their social programs and infrastructure projects a mass exodus leads to a drop in tax receipts that can stunt economic growth and development areas that see brain gain are also impacted they can experience overcrowding especially in major metropolitan areas where more opportunities are available a lot of people in one area puts a strain on resources and this can lead to higher prices and taxes measures to reduce brain drainthere isn t an easy fix for brain drain but business and government leaders can do some things to reduce or minimize it examples of brain drainbrain drain has notably occurred in puerto rico and ukraine war and conflict are big catalysts for brain drain this was evident following russia s invasion of ukraine in 2022 studies conducted by the european parliament indicated a massive displacement of the country s population across the european union eu even before russia s invasion one of the main areas examined was the movement of students the number of students who left ukraine doubled from 25 000 to 50 000 between 2007 and 2014 that number jumped to about 78 000 by 2019 the majority of these students were enrolled in post secondary institutions in poland 1some professionals leaving ukraine have had a tough time finding work in their fields in other countries because of a lack of available work or transferrable skills some are choosing to take on lower paying jobs to find a sense of security and safety 2russia has experienced a flight of human capital too economic sanctions placed on the country by the u s the united kingdom and canada have had a profound impact on russian citizens the federal government implemented laws to punish citizens who supported ukraine it s been estimated that as many as 200 000 russians had left the country by 2022 3brain drain was a significant consequence of the puerto rican debt crisis in 2019 it was particularly evident in the exodus of skilled medical professionals this hit the island hard almost half of puerto rico s residents receive medicare or medicaid but the island receives significantly fewer federal funds to pay for these programs than similarly sized states on the mainland such as mississippi 45this lack of funding combined with the island s dire financial situation has precluded its ability to offer competitive compensation to doctors nurses and other medical staff these professionals were reported to have left the island en masse for more lucrative opportunities on the mainland as a result this form of brain drain was prompted by hurricane maria which hit the island in september 2017 creating incentives for emigration 6