An increasing number of professionals like teachers and doctors are leaving poorer countries where they grew up to work in richer countries. What are some problems this causes and what are some solutions?
In recent years, developed countries have seen an influx of educators and healthcare practitioners from the developing world. In this essay, I will look at two issues this causes and present some solutions. First, that these countries do not recoup their investments in these people’s education, and second, that this leads to an unfair distribution of important workers.
First, professionals leaving the country after graduation is unfair to the countries who train them. When countries train public workers, they are making an investment in their education that they expect to recoup by having well trained staff in important jobs. If these professionals then leave the country for a high salary in the developed world, this means the country fails to get anything back for it’s investment. This is especially problematic for developing countries who have less public money available for education.
Second, this causes a shortage of professionals in those countries. Because these professionals have in-demand skills, it is easy for them to find jobs and visas abroad. This can cause staff shortages as poorer countries can lose staff to countries with more money causing a damaging shortage. For example, a country might lose teachers and then struggle to develop because of a lack of education provision.
To conclude, losing skilled professionals is both unfair and damaging to countries. However, there are several solutions to this problem. Developed countries should focus more on training their own workers rather than relying on the developing world. In addition, poorer countries should make training conditional on trainees working in that country for a period of time.
