Kristen Gyles | The lure of greener pastures

Recently, I came across an interesting post on social media by an old acquaintance. He emigrated to Canada eight years ago, after completing his tertiary studies. He said he left Jamaica with only $50, his suitcase, a work permit and a dream.

At first, things were challenging because he worked two jobs – a corporate day job and a night job as an Uber driver. However, things got easier over time and today he heads the finance unit at a successful pharmaceutical company, after starting a career in finance and accounting 10 years ago as an accounting assistant.

The context of the social media post? It was Canada day. And having attained his Canadian citizenship two years ago, he celebrated all that Canada had done for him and concluded by saying “I’m here to stay, not run when it gets hard.”

His experience had me thinking long and hard. Does Jamaica, like Canada, attract foreigners who celebrate our nation as though it is their own, so much so that they would want to stay even when it gets hard? Right now, it seems we are hardly even attracting our own. Based on 2024 rankings, Jamaica ranks third highest on the Human Flight and Brain Drain Index. Jamaica has 9.2 index points while the world average is 4.98 index points. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest measure of brain drain. Of the over 170 countries that are ranked, Jamaica now trails only behind Samoa and Palestine. The average for Jamaica from 2007 to 2024 was 7.85 index points. So, the problem is actually worsening.

LOSS

People are leaving – some with the intention to return, and others only with the intention to return remittances. Either way, it is a loss to our country, when our most productive people leave, and that is exactly what is happening. First, it is the youngest and consequently the most energetic people who are leaving. In a recent Don Anderson poll, respondents were asked whether they would relocate to another country if presented with the opportunity. All of 43.2 percent said they would. But what is telling is that of respondents who were 65 and older, only 13.5 per cent said they would leave compared to 71.2 per cent in the 18-24 age group. It seems Jamaica has a problem retaining its high school and college graduates, specifically.

Youth aside, the skilled and educated classes are also leaving. It is estimated that approximately 85 per cent of Jamaicans with tertiary education leave the country. Anecdotal accounts also paint a vivid picture of how many skilled young Jamaicans feel stifled at home. One person shared online “For some time now, I’ve been feeling a bit of growing hatred for living here in Jamaica. I do coding, 3D modelling, animations… and because of the lack of opportunities here, I can’t make use of the skills I have. It is like my choices here are call centres or working in a hotel. My father is filing for me to move to the US… But it is crazy to me that I have to go to another country to use my skills and possibly start a business in tech or game development. This is a beautiful country, but I feel so limited in what I can do and it is starting to affect me mentally.” Who wants to sit watching time pass them by as their mental health erodes, all in the name of patriotism when they can do better for themselves elsewhere?

Jamaica grapples with a profound “brain drain” problem. Mr Canada could have been a significant contributor to Jamaica’s finance sector, but the opportunities (or the lack thereof) in Jamaica failed him. He left and found a warm embrace in a country that is already well-developed and is now an ambassador of said country. Ironically, it is our investment in human capital and simultaneously our ability to fully utilise that human capital that will further develop the country.

MISMATCH

Another common point of discussion among emigrants is how over qualification often either results in discrimination or leads them into low-skill jobs, which seem to be dime-a-dozen nowadays. In other words, there is a mismatch between talent and opportunity.

While some leave because of family ties and other social reasons, low wages and limited professional growth opportunities are the key incentives for emigration. The healthcare and education sectors are especially affected with a significant number of nurses and teachers migrating each year, creating critical domestic staff shortages. Worse yet is the fact that our total fertility rate of 1.9 is below the replacement level and with disproportionate youth emigration, the under-30 population is shrinking. The brain drainage is contributing to a looming population crisis.

Fortunately, most recognize this as a problem. There has been somewhat of a move to pivot from ‘brain drain’ to ‘brain gain’. The World Bank has proposed one approach, which is hinged on the implementation of Global Skill Partnerships (GSPs), which are bilateral labour migration agreements. These partnerships would see workers being trained in skills that would prepare them for work both domestically (in the host country) and overseas (in the destination country). Workers in the ‘home track’ would remain in the host country, while those in the ‘away track’ would emigrate.

Migration is a part of life in a globalised society, but it is concerning that it would be the preferred choice for close to half of Jamaica’s population. Young professionals, especially, need a reason to stay and the country should give them one.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com