India’s Brain Drain Crisis

What is Brain Drain?

The emigration of highly trained or qualified people from a particular country. India has experienced Brain Drain from the 1970s till the present. The Indian Diaspora is the largest in the world at 17. 5 million.

Indian-origin CEOs leading successful companies in the world. Parag Agarwal: CEO of social media giant Twitter,

Satya Nadella: CEO of Microsoft,

Sundar Pichai: CEO of Alphabet, Google's Parent Company.

Indian-origin Talent

Indra Nooyi: Former CEO and chairperson of PepsiCo,

Leena Nair: CEO of Chanel,

Gita Gopinathan: Economist, first Deputy Managing Director, IMF.

According to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), more than 600,000 Indians renounced their citizenship in the past five years. In 2021, around 111,287 Indians have given up their citizenship.

Overseas Education

As of 2019, nearly 770,000 Indian students were studying abroad. A major reason why India’s young, skilled labor force leaves are to find better rewards for their effort and talent.

Better Pay Developed countries offer better pay in sectors like health, research, IT. Income is one of the main triggers of emigration from India.

Recognition bright minds choose foreign countries where their work is appreciated more.

Freedom from rigid social rules: Millennials are leaving India for mental peace and for freedom to live as they wish. They want to avoid the rigid societal rules within Indian society like caste, religious barriers in marriages, and dating.

Consequences: Indians are contributing to the growth of their host country than their home country. It has led to reduced economic growth, lower innovation, and a lack of skilled manpower in India.

India is losing its doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, and its most skilled human capital to other countries. India is facing the Great Brain Drain Crisis even with travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Final Note: Neither globalization nor migration of talent are new. The Indian government needs to address questions about its education system, employment opportunities, and pay scales. Otherwise, the best Indians will just go.