Increasingly more skilled workers are leaving the UK in search of more lucrative jobs abroad, according to a study of the British Interior Ministry. Only in the current year over 400,000 people left the United Kingdom and this is not the limit. What is the reason of the mass exodus and what may stop the "brain drain"?
The UK Ministry of Interior is concerned about the results of a recently conducted research indicating that soon their country may be severely affected by a shortage of skilled labor. The study found that every year a large number of people emigrate in search of work and better living conditions. It would seem that Britain is one of the world's most developed countries, however, over 4.7 million people born in the UK now live abroad. Considering that the country's population barely exceeds 60 million, this number is very significant.
Where are immigrants headed? According to the statistics, the greatest preference is given to Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada. Among the European countries Spain, Italy and France are most popular. The vast majority of immigrants opt for four countries - Australia, France, New Zealand and Spain.
Those leaving the country are mostly representatives of the middle class, while more affluent Brits prefer to stay in their country. According to ITAR-TASS, a recent poll of the British showed that two-thirds of the citizens willing to leave their country would bring along their families. In addition, according to the analysts at the University of Huddersfield, the country is suffering not only from the loss of skilled workers, but also the "brain drain." Every year in the UK each university loses two to three high-level scientists.
Emigration rates are striking. The Telegraph, citing the National Bureau of Statistics, reported that only this year over 400,000 British citizens left the country, which has not happened in the last 50 years.
According to analysts of the British Institute of Social Policy Studies, one in twelve citizens lives abroad, and over a million are seriously considering leaving the United Kingdom in the next two to three years. The Institute analysts argue that those leaving the country are mostly middle-aged professionals who want to find a better place to work. The young British stay in the country.
In fact, the main reason for this significant emigration is high level of unemployment in the country, and the change in value of the pound against other world currencies.
Why are scientists leaving the United Kingdom? Experts at the University of Huddersfield indicated that the number of scientists of the first degree who left the country is far greater than in other twenty advanced countries. According to a Professor at the University of Huddersfield Paul Ward, countries such as the U.S. and Switzerland are the most preferred by British scientists, especially physicists. Britain is not in a position to compete with the world powers, because scientific research there is on a higher level, and stable support from the government provides a fairly high level of wages for scientists. According to a statement of the University of Huddersfield, in terms of scientific development the UK is beginning to yield to Germany and Japan, which has a negative impact on the development of scientific and research activities of the country as a whole.
As previously noted by The Telegraph, only in the current year six physicists of global magnitude left the UK, while in other countries this number does not exceed two or three a year.
Dissatisfaction with payment is not the only reason that pushes British citizens to emigrate abroad. Analysts at the Ministry of Interior noted that most of those who left the country were unhappy with constantly rising prices of real estate, as well as the loss of a sense of belonging to the British community. Paul Ward in one of his reports said that many of his fellow citizens are simply tired of the rudeness of state officials, as well as the influence of populist ideas in the country. Many of those polled expressed a desire to live in a country that sticks to the British tradition. According to the expert, the citizens of the UK want to immigrate to countries based on the British traditions that do not impact the existing political system.
The UK government is seriously concerned. According to statistics, every three minutes a citizen leaves the country. If this trend continues, the state will soon be on the brink of a disaster whose consequences would be nearly impossible to eliminate. According to the analysts at the University of Huddersfield, the reduction in the number of scientists willing to emigrate can only be achieved by an increase in the level of wages, as well as allocating additional funding for research activities.
Interestingly, many of the polled UK citizens named bad climate prevailing in the United Kingdom among the reasons why they wanted to leave the country. According to Paul Ward, many are tired of constant rain and fog, this is why countries with a mild climate - France, Spain, and Italy - are popular among immigrants.
The economy of the country is going through hard times, impacted by the effects of the global economic crisis that inevitably led to a rise in real estate prices. According to the researchers of the Ministry of Interior, many Brits sell their homes at a high price to use the money to start their own business in a foreign country with more stable economy. The leader among these countries is Australia as over a third of Brits who leave their country settle there.
The country's leading economists are looking for ways to improve the situation, but so far without much success. Unemployment in the country is significant, and salaries of skilled workers are low. In addition, graduates from UK institutions are in demand around the world, and many of the country's citizens are given quite lucrative offers from overseas employers. As Ward noted, the amount offered by foreign employers is much higher than what they are offered at home.
Despite the large numbers of people coming to the UK, the country is suffering from lack of skilled labor because the majority of those coming to the UK are unskilled. The country is facing lack of middle managers. The flow of emigrants from the UK is growing, and the government is concerned about its future.
Sergei Vasilenkov
Pravda.Ru