International Mobility of the Highly Skilled

More and more highly skilled workers are moving abroad for jobs, encouraging innovation to circulate and helping to boost economic growth around the globe, according to a new study by the OECD, International Mobility of the Highly Skilled. But greater co-operation between sending and receiving countries is needed to ensure a fair distribution of benefits, it suggests.

A series of country case studies in the report look at what drives the movement of scientists, engineers, computer programmers and other professionals across borders and how entry conditions have generally been eased in the richer countries to match labour shortages in some high-technology industries. It shows that the main increase in flows has been from Asia and Central and Eastern Europe into North America, Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom.

There are clear benefits for the home country, the report notes, if migrants return with new technological and entrepreneurial skills obtained abroad, especially if they have capital to invest or have contacts in the international science and technology fields. The sharp expansion of high-technology industries in Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Ireland owes much to returning migrants.

Fears of a "brain drain" from developing to technologically advanced countries may be exaggerated, given that many professionals do eventually return to their country of origin. To avoid the loss of highly qualified workers, however, developing countries need to build their own innovation and research facilities, the report says. In this context, it notes that China, for example, has recently launched a programme aimed at developing 100 selected universities into world-class research centres. Another way to ensure return, the report suggests, could be to encourage students to study abroad while making study grants conditional on the student's return home.

Journalists may obtain this report from the OECD Media Relations Division . This report is on sale through the Online Bookshop.