Brain Drain

In the past, this phenomenon referred to poor countries losing their most talented and brightest minds because of a poor economy. That’s still essentially the meaning of brain drain.

Allow me to be more specific. In the past, countries like China, Russia, and India have produced great minds in the fields of engineering, medicine and computer technology. These individuals would study in America or Europe, earning master’s degrees or PhD’s. However, due to economic factors, a professional, a doctor, a scientist, could except to earn little more 500 dollars a month is his home country, where the average wage compared to Western standards were and sometimes are still a mere pittance. As a result, these talented professionals would almost always stay in America or Europe. Hence, the term ‘brain drain’ – the brightest minds in the country leaving.

These days, this pattern is being reversed. Most recently in Sunnyvale, California, part of what is known as the Silicon Valley, or the center of computer innovation in the world, a think tank symposium was held where some of the brightest minds in the field of computer technology met to discuss matters regarding the future of technology – one of these issues was titled “Reverse Brain Drain.”

Not surprising, nearly 40% of the participants were of Asian descent, mainly India, China, and Taiwan. The consensus among these participants, many of whom have been living in the US for over a decade, many of whom possess green cards and are ‘permanent residents’ in the US, was that most of them planned on returning to their home country in the next few years, as many HAVE been doing over the last few years.

The average age for Indians to return to India was 31 and Chinese returning to China was 33. 

The question presented was – these Indians and Chinese (the largest Asian demographic of the group) received their higher education in America and all possessed high paying jobs in America, so why would they return to their native country? This was one issue that was discussed at the symposium.

The over all feeling among the Asian-Americans present was this – 20, 30, even 10 years ago, the average wage at a high tech job in America, compared to India or China was like 20 to 1. It made little sense to stay in a country where a decent salary could not be earned. The problem, in the past, with many 3^rd world countries, and a problem which still exists today with most 3^rd world counties is that ALL the wealth is concentrated in a few families/companies – a real middle class didn’t/doesn’t exist.

These days, things are very different. A Chinese man with a PhD from an American university, who is a real mover and shaker in the IT field, can do very well for himself in Beijing or Shanghai. The same holds true for Indians, who can return to Bangalore or Delhi or Mumbai and work for a company and sure, their salaries will never compare to that of the US, but making several thousand dollars a month in India, while in America, may not seem like much money; in India, they can live like a king on that salary.

Add to the equation that many of these Asians not only wish to marry women of their own ethnicity, but also, most have close ties to their families and hope to care for their aging parents, and that really puts the dagger in the hope of America retaining these individuals. I’m referring to current Immigration policies. In the past, an American, even a resident alien could marry a foreigner and the spouse was almost instantly given a green card. Those days are long gone. Also, trying to bring aging parents to America isn’t as easy as it once was. And finally, add to it the fact that China and India are two of the fastest growing economies in the world – the choice becomes almost a no-brainer for many foreign born resident aliens in America. They would rather earn their degrees, work for a top company in America for a few years and then return to their home counties, where, even if their salary is slightly less (20 to 1 becoming more like 3 to 2, was the consensus by the panel, when income tax and cost of living are factored in) the quality of life for their entire family would be much better if they return to their home counties. Earning 3000 dollars a month in Delhi would ensure a comfortable life. Earning 5000 dollars a month in Manhattan or San Francisco, after income tax, rent, insurance, etc. does not guarantee a comfortable life.

So, essentially, we are entering a new era; one known as – the reverse brain drain. The major difference is that the country that will suffer by losing its greatest minds is the US.

In conclusion, this is not MY independent thought. I never really thought of it, although I just spent 3 months in India. This is actually a ‘paraphrase’ of an article I read in computer magazine, whose name I can’t remember.