Farah Naz
Brain drain is a term that refers to the migration of highly skilled, adroit, and intellectual people to foreign countries. Brain drain in Pakistan is rapidly increasing with citizens leaving the country due to several factors which is devastating for the country, however, Pakistanis leaving for abroad is not a new phenomenon. The trend can be traced back many years with varying figures annually. According to the World Bank’s dataset in Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, in the overall ranking, Pakistan has taken the third place in South Asia in the rate of brain drain after India and Bangladesh and holds the sixth position in the world after India, Mexico, Russia, China, and Bangladesh. Since independence in 1947 and especially after 1971 Pakistan had abundantly lost highly skilled engineers, doctors, teachers, IT specialists, journalists, news readers, accountants, and many other professionals from construction, industrial, media, and educational fields which had been an immense concern. Furthermore, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis reported that around 5.873 million Pakistanis had migrated during the last two decades. Surprisingly in 1989, approximately 48000 people had migrated to the USA from Pakistan. In 1997, 50,000 professionals, specialists, and entrepreneurs migrated throughout the globe with 75000 family members. According to UNESCO, from 1992 to 2000 the rate of brain drain was 60 percent. Shockingly, from 2002 to 2003 nearly 84000 Pakistanis left their homeland according to official registration at the Bureau of Emigration. The estimated report from official registration at the Bureau of Emigration elicits that more than 300,000 Pakistani citizens left the country in 2018. The top destinations of migrants are recorded to be the USA, the UK, The UAE, Japan, Switzerland, and Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) countries like Bahrain Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman among which Saudi Arabia remains on the top. The most significant reason behind the brain drain in Pakistan is unemployment. Moreover, unemployment has been at a very high rate in the last few years. Hundreds of thousands of students complete their education per year but they remain jobless for many years. According to the estimation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the unemployment rate increased from 6.1 in 2019 to 6.2 in 2020. According to the report of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employees, more than ten million citizens have exited Pakistan in the last decade for better job and financial opportunities. In 2013 to 2016, 27 million Pakistani citizens had left the country to seek employment abroad. To compound more, the figure provided by the bureau shows that 10,000 engineers, 3500 doctors, and 9500 accountants transferred abroad during the TehreK-I- insaf party (PTI) which came into power with the promise to quell unemployment from Pakistan but instead of generating more jobs, the ruling party was taken out of power by no-confidence vote and the unemployment rate still stands at a high point. Thus, people feel compelled to move to foreign countries in search of better job opportunities. The latest data, according to the official documents, shows that 2,000 Pakistanis went to Iraq, 5,000 to Malaysia, 602 to China, 815 to Japan, and 136 to Turkey. The documents also revealed that 478 Pakistani citizens went to Sudan in Africa in search of employment in 2023. Another major reason that drains the brains of Pakistan is low income. In addition, skilled and well-educated professionals work very hard but they get low income in return. They can not fulfill the incipient needs of their lives with their low salaries. Apart from the low income, the next hurdle that a professional suffers through in Pakistan is the slow process of promotion. The employees wait to get their promotions for way too long patiently but haplessly, the process of promotion is very slow in Pakistan, plus the high inflation is always lurking on the top of their heads. The high inflation is an ancient problem in Pakistan but the recent increase of 18.4 % in August 2023 where the maximum level was 11.4 % and the minimum was 3.4 % according to the estimated data published by State Bank has made survival difficult. Hence the high income and quick upgradation of position and salary for the deserved ones attract those professionals and high skilled people. Therefore, they migrate to overseas countries for improved livelihoods. Another common factor of brain drain is the improved lifestyle and better security system. Most people of Pakistan express their wish, especially the youth to exit from Pakistan to migrate to other countries to live a better life and remain safer and secure. On the other hand. In Pakistan, the lack of scope in certain professions, insufficient equipment for research, the political riots, the oppressed pedagogy, the challenge of terrorism, conflicts between religious and culturally diversified communities, and clashes between proponents of different political ideologies and supporters of various political parties have depressed the locals. The professionals face security challenges in their workspace and throughout their careers with journalists being killed and professionals from other fields being threatened. Brain drain has undoubtedly left an enormous influence on the Pakistani economy and its image internationally. As Pakistan is losing its expert brains, the rate of economic development is decreasing per day. Due to the brain drain, Pakistan has reached a more vulnerable position. More importantly, Pakistan is currently facing a worrying trend of mass emigration. The fear of a deteriorating economic situation has also put Pakistanis studying abroad in distress. Formerly, international students would return to the country to work, but now, with fewer jobs available, many opt to stay in their host countries and apply for permanent residency. Pakistan’s escalating inflation has driven the youth and their families to the brink, where making ends meet is a daily struggle. Meanwhile, the opportunities for gainful employment have dwindled to an alarming new low. The job opportunities in this country are decreasing every passing day as several businesses are either shutting down or leaving Pakistan due to its regressive and unstable economic and political environment. According to the official annals, the country has come across record-breaking data of 800,000 Pakistanis leaving the country in the first half of 2023. Of particular, concern is that among these emigrants, at least 100,000 are highly skilled professionals, including doctors, nurses, engineers, IT experts, and accountants. And the trend shows no sign of abating in 2023. The latest data indicate that nearly 200,000 people left in the first three months of the year. Among those who emigrated abroad are a large number of educated youth along with many 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. According to the data, over 730,000 youth went to the Gulf States, and nearly 40,000 went to European and other Asian countries. The country-wise breakdown of the data estimation showed 470,000 Pakistanis headed to Saudi Arabia for employment, 119,000 to UAE, 77,000 to Oman, 51,634 to Qatar, and 2,000 to Kuwait. As far as solutions are concerned, 35% percent of immigrants suggest eliminating unemployment. 10% of them demand basic facilities, 15% suggest educational reform and 38% require a secure and good working environment as well as research facilities. On the whole, the Pakistani government is required to work for the cessation of brain drain before it loses all its expert brains. The situation is too serious to ignore or avoid. The government is required to meet the expectations of the public in particular the youth. It has to fulfill the demands and cease the factors that push citizens abroad. There should be proper and long-term planning for coping with this situation since it is not merely a minor issue now.Brain drain is a term that refers to the migration of highly skilled, adroit, and intellectual people to foreign countries. Brain drain in Pakistan is rapidly increasing with citizens leaving the country due to several factors which is devastating for the country, however, Pakistanis leaving for abroad is not a new phenomenon. The trend can be traced back many years with varying figures annually. According to the World Bank’s dataset in Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, in the overall ranking, Pakistan has taken the third place in South Asia in the rate of brain drain after India and Bangladesh and holds the sixth position in the world after India, Mexico, Russia, China, and Bangladesh. Since independence in 1947 and especially after 1971 Pakistan had abundantly lost highly skilled engineers, doctors, teachers, IT specialists, journalists, news readers, accountants, and many other professionals from construction, industrial, media, and educational fields which had been an immense concern. Furthermore, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis reported that around 5.873 million Pakistanis had migrated during the last two decades. Surprisingly in 1989, approximately 48000 people had migrated to the USA from Pakistan. In 1997, 50,000 professionals, specialists, and entrepreneurs migrated throughout the globe with 75000 family members. According to UNESCO, from 1992 to 2000 the rate of brain drain was 60 percent. Shockingly, from 2002 to 2003 nearly 84000 Pakistanis left their homeland according to official registration at the Bureau of Emigration. The estimated report from official registration at the Bureau of Emigration elicits that more than 300,000 Pakistani citizens left the country in 2018. The top destinations of migrants are recorded to be the USA, the UK, The UAE, Japan, Switzerland, and Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) countries like Bahrain Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman among which Saudi Arabia remains on the top. The most significant reason behind the brain drain in Pakistan is unemployment. Moreover, unemployment has been at a very high rate in the last few years. Hundreds of thousands of students complete their education per year but they remain jobless for many years. According to the estimation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the unemployment rate increased from 6.1 in 2019 to 6.2 in 2020. According to the report of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employees, more than ten million citizens have exited Pakistan in the last decade for better job and financial opportunities. In 2013 to 2016, 27 million Pakistani citizens had left the country to seek employment abroad. To compound more, the figure provided by the bureau shows that 10,000 engineers, 3500 doctors, and 9500 accountants transferred abroad during the TehreK-I- insaf party (PTI) which came into power with the promise to quell unemployment from Pakistan but instead of generating more jobs, the ruling party was taken out of power by no-confidence vote and the unemployment rate still stands at a high point. Thus, people feel compelled to move to foreign countries in search of better job opportunities. The latest data, according to the official documents, shows that 2,000 Pakistanis went to Iraq, 5,000 to Malaysia, 602 to China, 815 to Japan, and 136 to Turkey. The documents also revealed that 478 Pakistani citizens went to Sudan in Africa in search of employment in 2023. Another major reason that drains the brains of Pakistan is low income. In addition, skilled and well-educated professionals work very hard but they get low income in return. They can not fulfill the incipient needs of their lives with their low salaries. Apart from the low income, the next hurdle that a professional suffers through in Pakistan is the slow process of promotion. The employees wait to get their promotions for way too long patiently but haplessly, the process of promotion is very slow in Pakistan, plus the high inflation is always lurking on the top of their heads. The high inflation is an ancient problem in Pakistan but the recent increase of 18.4 % in August 2023 where the maximum level was 11.4 % and the minimum was 3.4 % according to the estimated data published by State Bank has made survival difficult. Hence the high income and quick upgradation of position and salary for the deserved ones attract those professionals and high skilled people. Therefore, they migrate to overseas countries for improved livelihoods. Another common factor of brain drain is the improved lifestyle and better security system. Most people of Pakistan express their wish, especially the youth to exit from Pakistan to migrate to other countries to live a better life and remain safer and secure. On the other hand. In Pakistan, the lack of scope in certain professions, insufficient equipment for research, the political riots, the oppressed pedagogy, the challenge of terrorism, conflicts between religious and culturally diversified communities, and clashes between proponents of different political ideologies and supporters of various political parties have depressed the locals. The professionals face security challenges in their workspace and throughout their careers with journalists being killed and professionals from other fields being threatened. Brain drain has undoubtedly left an enormous influence on the Pakistani economy and its image internationally. As Pakistan is losing its expert brains, the rate of economic development is decreasing per day. Due to the brain drain, Pakistan has reached a more vulnerable position. More importantly, Pakistan is currently facing a worrying trend of mass emigration. The fear of a deteriorating economic situation has also put Pakistanis studying abroad in distress. Formerly, international students would return to the country to work, but now, with fewer jobs available, many opt to stay in their host countries and apply for permanent residency. Pakistan’s escalating inflation has driven the youth and their families to the brink, where making ends meet is a daily struggle. Meanwhile, the opportunities for gainful employment have dwindled to an alarming new low. The job opportunities in this country are decreasing every passing day as several businesses are either shutting down or leaving Pakistan due to its regressive and unstable economic and political environment. According to the official annals, the country has come across record-breaking data of 800,000 Pakistanis leaving the country in the first half of 2023.
Of particular, concern is that among these emigrants, at least 100,000 are highly skilled professionals, including doctors, nurses, engineers, IT experts, and accountants. And the trend shows no sign of abating in 2023. The latest data indicate that nearly 200,000 people left in the first three months of the year. Among those who emigrated abroad are a large number of educated youth along with many 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. According to the data, over 730,000 youth went to the Gulf States, and nearly 40,000 went to European and other Asian countries. The country-wise breakdown of the data estimation showed 470,000 Pakistanis headed to Saudi Arabia for employment, 119,000 to UAE, 77,000 to Oman, 51,634 to Qatar, and 2,000 to Kuwait. As far as solutions are concerned, 35% percent of immigrants suggest eliminating unemployment. 10% of them demand basic facilities, 15% suggest educational reform and 38% require a secure and good working environment as well as research facilities. On the whole, the Pakistani government is required to work for the cessation of brain drain before it loses all its expert brains. The situation is too serious to ignore or avoid. The government is required to meet the expectations of the public in particular the youth. It has to fulfill the demands and cease the factors that push citizens abroad. There should be proper and long-term planning for coping with this situation since it is not merely a minor issue now.
