They are physically in Türkiye and mentally abroad...

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced the higher education brain drain statistics for the 2021-2023 period. According to the data, the brain drain rate of higher education graduates, which was 1.6 percent in 2015, increased to 2 percent in 2023. It was observed that the migration rate was 1.6 percent for women and 2.4 percent for men. Sociologist Prof. Barış Erdoğan, who made evaluations on brain drain, said that brain drain is a phenomenon that usually takes place from underdeveloped or developing countries to developed countries. Prof. Barış Erdoğan stated that "There is also a 'virtual brain drain'. What does it mean? Today, many of our young people work for companies abroad without moving from Türkiye through the Internet. In other words, they are physically in Türkiye, but their brains are working abroad."

Üsküdar University Head of the Department of Sociology Prof. Barış Erdoğan evaluated the wave of brain drain that Türkiye has experienced in recent years.

Most of those who immigrate abroad are highly educated and qualified young people

Stating that most of the people who immigrated abroad are highly educated and qualified young people, Prof. Barış Erdoğan expressed that "When we look at a country, the migration of educated, qualified people working in professions with intensive cognitive activities is defined as brain drain. In the past, mostly people with manual strength migrated from Türkiye; however, today, the most valuable people of our country are migrating."

What does 'virtual brain drain' mean?

Pointing out that brain drain is a phenomenon that generally takes place from underdeveloped or developing countries to developed countries, Prof. Barış Erdoğan stated that "This is the apparent brain drain. In addition to this, there is also a 'virtual brain drain'. What does it mean? Today, many of our young people work for companies abroad without moving from Türkiye through the internet. In other words, they are physically in Türkiye, but their brains are working abroad. A condition called hidden brain drain. They work in Türkiye for foreign companies and provide services to those companies."

The most valuable resource of a country is human capital, and we are slowly losing this capital

Emphasizing that brain drain has reached a dangerous level for Türkiye, Prof. Barış Erdoğan stated that "The figures announced by TurkStat include people who graduated between 2008 and 2017 and went abroad after these dates. Although TurkStat has not given an exact figure, when we assume that the graduates in this time period are 2 percent, we can say that approximately 49 thousand people went abroad. However, this is not limited to 49 thousand people. We do not yet know the migration status of those who graduated from 2017 to 2023. We think that the real intensity is during this period, as we all often encounter around us. In the past, mines of a country were visited and seized in order to exploit a country. This is no longer necessary. The most valuable resource of a country is human capital; however, we are slowly losing this capital. This situation is very dangerous.”

There are two main causes of brain drain

Stating that there are two main reasons for brain drain, Prof. Barış Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:

"As someone who has lived abroad for a while, I can say that there are two main reasons for brain drain. The first is push factors, and the second is pull factors. The driving reasons have to do with why people want to leave. First, employment opportunities are quite limited. For example, how much employment do we have in Türkiye in fields such as molecular biology? Neither our universities nor our private sector have sufficient capacity. In the United States, Harvard University alone has a budget of about 50 billion dollars, including donations. The total budget of our 200 universities is less than 10 billion dollars. When you compare a single university with 200 universities, you can see how inadequate the opportunities offered here are, especially in technical fields. Would Aziz Sancar have received the Nobel Prize if he had stayed in Türkiye? Would Uğur Şahin have achieved the same success if he had continued his education and studies in Türkiye?"

Educational opportunities are becoming a pull factor for brain drain

Stating that the income level has decreased considerably due to factors such as the economic crisis in Türkiye, especially in recent years, on the other hand, there are much better living conditions and opportunities abroad, Prof. Barış Erdoğan expressed that "Although Western countries have made conditions difficult for blue-collar workers and immigrants in general for many years, they have been providing convenience to attract educated people. Countries such as Germany, the European Union and the United States are improving their policies towards brain drain with opportunities such as blue cards or green cards."

The countries with the most brain drain in the world...

Stating that the United States of America is one of the countries with the most brain drain in the world and there are also other countries besides the USA such as Germany, England, Canada, Australia, France and Belgium, Prof. Barış Erdoğan said that "The center of brain drain is the United States of America. In fact, the USA is even getting a brain drain from Canada. Because the biggest IT companies and the biggest laboratories are there. The budget of just one American university is 5 times the total budget of 200 universities in Türkiye. In particular, developments in areas such as artificial intelligence, molecular biology and genetics make America, which has a strong ecosystem in these fields, attractive. A successful company in this field can emerge from Türkiye; However, this alone is not enough. There is a need for an industry ecosystem, an appropriate corporate mindset and climate that will support this success."

When the chances of progression are diminished...

Noting that many bureaucratic obstacles can be encountered when there is no suitable climate when entering a company or university, Prof. Barış Erdoğan expressed that "This leads people to ask, 'What am I doing here?' The person thinks that they are being cut off, that his chances of progress are decreasing. The United States is the clear frontrunner, and Germany stands out as an exception in this regard."

Not only young people, but also middle-aged people migrate abroad

Stating that the fields that can be expressed as "Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics" when we translate them into Turkish, which are called "STEM" in the literature, are the most interesting and sought-after fields, Prof. Barış Erdoğan said that "When we look at Türkiye, 2 out of every 10 people who graduate in fields such as molecular biology and genetics go abroad. The same is true in business, engineering, mathematics, statistics and other engineering fields. In today's and tomorrow's world, data processing and data understanding are very important because artificial intelligence builds its logic on this. For this reason, our people working in technical fields, not only young people, but also middle-aged people migrate abroad. They either leave physically or, as I mentioned, migrate virtually. In other words, while their bodies stay here, their brains work abroad."

As the possibilities change, the desire to return may increase...

Stating that brains move very quickly in the global world, Prof. Barış Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:

"Other countries are doing their best to support this situation and attract it. However, since there are not enough opportunities here, people take advantage of different opportunities and go abroad easily. It is not easy to really get anywhere. It is inevitable to encounter difficulties such as cultural integration and language problems. A person cannot be anywhere like their homeland. However, this migration has now become an escape from despair rather than a journey to hope. Nevertheless, it is possible to return. As opportunities change, so can the desire to return."

Are women or men more likely to go abroad?

Noting that the phenomenon of migration is generally carried out more by men, Prof. Barış Erdoğan stated that "However, in the statistics of the past years, the gap between women and men is gradually closing. First of all, it is necessary to state this. The number of women is getting closer and closer to the number of men. If this trend continues, the difference between these two groups will almost disappear in 10 years. One of the important reasons for the male density in brain drain is that fields such as science, technology and mathematics are more preferred by men. In terms of brain drain, many countries want to attract technical people rather than social scientists; therefore, the majority of graduates from technical fields are men."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)