The Brain Drain Situation In Pakistan

Pakistan's economic crisis acceleration for youth to migrate abroad

Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash

Don't blame Pakistani youth for wanting to leave. And I don't think it's an easy choice for them.

According to previous reports, over many thousand Pakistanis chose to leave the country in 2022. This sparked an internet a new debate about brain drain and why so many people chose to leave the country where they were actually born.

Pakistan's brain drain situation worsened in 2022, as more than 750,000 educated youth chose to seek employment abroad, primarily due to the country's uncertain economic and political situation, as well as rapidly shrinking job opportunities.

Brain Drain is a common phenomenon in countries such as Pakistan, where skilled professionals and talent choose to leave for better opportunities or a safer environment. These individuals take their skills elsewhere, resulting in a human capital deficit for the country's development, economy, and prospects.

According to documents (News), 765,000 Pakistanis emigrated to other countries in 2022, up from 288,000 in 2020. Data from recent years also included 92,000 highly educated individuals, including doctors, engineers, information technology experts, and accountants.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of young men, including highly educated individuals, who are concerned about inflation, unemployment, and an uncertain economic and political situation, travel abroad in search of work and a better future for themselves and family.

Young people are showing support for leaving Pakistan. Millennials and Generation Z will inherit a world with a rapidly declining economy and antiquated social norms. The older generation, on the other hand, chooses to remain loyal and hopeful. It would be unfair to say that either side is wrong, but it creates a quandary for those who have their entire lives ahead of them.

Among the emigrating educated youth were actually 5,534 engineers, 18,000 associate electrical engineers, 2,500 doctors, 2,000 computer experts, 6,500 accountants, 2,600 agricultural experts, over 900 teachers, 12,000 computer operators, 1,600 nurses, and 21,517 technicians. Also, among the low-skilled workers were 213,000 drivers.

This real dilemma arises when you are young and given contradictory advice. Some people advise you to do whatever you can to leave this country (even if you have to use illegal means). 

Others argue that our country will not be able to grow unless its youth choose to stay and use their talents here. 

Pakistan is dealing with a multifaceted crisis.

Pakistan is in the grip of a severe economic crisis and probably requires outside assistance. Reserves of foreign exchange are abnormally low, with only very few weeks' worth of imports covered. Ordinary people are suffering as a result of rising food and fuel prices.

A few weeks ago, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) conducted a public opinion survey to determine whether Pakistanis prefer to stay or leave the country. Survey respondents were asked whether they would prefer to live in Pakistan or leave if given the opportunity, as well as the reasons for their decision.

According to the survey results, 37% of Pakistan's population wishes to leave the country and settle abroad. The desire to leave Pakistan is much greater in male youth between the ages of 15 and 26, with 62% of respondents in this category expressing a desire to leave the country.

The desire to leave Pakistan was also greater in cities, where 40% of the population preferred to leave, whereas only 36% of respondents in rural areas preferred to leave if the opportunity arose.

According to the PIDE survey, the desire to live outside of Pakistan is highest in Balochistan, where 42% want to leave, and lowest in Punjab, where 35% want to leave.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, for knowing why they wanted to move and live abroad, the majority of respondents cited economic reasons or the possibility of achieving higher living standards as their primary motivation. 

However, a sizable proportion of those who chose to relocate abroad stated that gaining more respect was the primary motivation for their decision. What is more surprising is that in Karachi and Balochistan, the desire for greater respect outweighed the desire for a higher income as the primary reason for wanting to leave the country.

The breakdown and economic crisis also show that in Karachi, more people chose to leave Pakistan for greater or better security. Gender equality and biological basis for identity were major reasons for wanting to leave Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Some percent of Pakistanis wished to move abroad, compared to 70% which is based on the older population who felt connected to the country and preferred to live and work in Pakistan. 

The concerning and worrying trend of an increasing number of young Pakistanis wishing to leave Pakistan which revealed that young Pakistanis under the age of 30 had a greater desire to leave Pakistan to do a better future, and earn a handsome amount than the older population. 

The desire to migrate in search of greener pastures, better education, and better opportunities is neither new nor unique to Pakistan. The fact that a large number of young Pakistanis prefer to leave Pakistan should be cause for concern. 

Another concerning aspect is that migration is not always motivated solely by the desire to improve one's economic prospects. Respect, security, gender equality, and ethnic or biological identity cited as reasons for emigration by Pakistanis speak volumes about the country's failings in regard to its people.

Migration is a difficult choice for humans, despite its centuries-long history. Modern migration is more than just one society's suffering from brain drain and another's enrichment from skill. 

There is a large literature on the social, cultural, and developmental effects of migration on individuals, households, and societies. The economic boost provided to Pakistan by remittances from migrant labor is also widely acknowledged.

To understand the desire of more young Pakistanis to migrate from Pakistan, the youth's growing alienation from Pakistan, as well as its present and future, must be examined. 

The desire of young people to leave the country raises serious concerns about our society's, as well as our leaders and government, failure to ensure the national, economic, civic, social, and cultural integration of Pakistan's diverse youth. This ongoing failure is at the heart of the youth's discontent.

According to the UNDP report, based on consulting with over 130,000 people across Pakistan, 90% of whom were youth, including those from marginalized and underprivileged communities, if the youth of Pakistan were viewed as 100 people, only seven had access to sports facilities, while the remaining 93 did not. Only six had library access, while 94 did not, one had a car, 12 had motorcycles, 10 had bicycles, and 77 had none of these transportation options. There is little evidence that any significant investment was made to change these statistics for Pakistan's youth by the end of 2022.

Following the identification of the aforementioned key concerns of migration, some of the top issues are, a solution to the issue of a lack of availability of quality education, an insecure future, insecure lives, no valuable jobs on merit, the quota system, and the rising cost of fuel within the country. 

Dissatisfied with the country's political uncertainty and chaos, a whopping some % of youth respondents favored holding a general election sooner rather than later, at the end of 2023.

Much has been written and researched about what Pakistan needs to do to capitalize on the demographic dividend, but it cannot be accomplished through youth-focused human development. There is also a wealth of information available on what young Pakistanis require from the state. To address the challenges that youth face, policy intent, and the necessary bandwidth are required.

One thing is certain: unless things change, people will continue to leave Pakistan.

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Syeda Javeria Ansari