TRANSFORMING BRAIN GAIN FROM A CONCEPT TO A REAL GAIN
TRANSFORMING BRAIN GAIN FROM A CONCEPT TO A REAL GAIN

Author(s): Riste Zmejkoski
Subject(s): Economy, National Economy, Migration Studies, Human Resources in Economy, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Grupa 484
Summary/Abstract: The migration of high skilled people from the Western Balkans has been a problem of the past two decades. Besides the awareness that there is huge outflow of educated people, the Balkan countries are not investing enough to track this group of people on their migration in the developed countries, or on their way back home. The data that is currently available can be perceived as outdated because no relevant research according to the migration of this profile of people has been done lately. Regarding the presented evidence in the Migration Profile of Republic of Macedonia 2008 (2009) it is presumed that Macedonian citizens who are residing in other countries are highly educated, and that there is also significant number of them working in respected and well known universities and research centers. According to one study, Potential Intellectual Emigration from the Republic of Macedonia, at least 15 to 20 thousand highly educated persons reside outside the country. This represents more than 15% or 20% respectively, of the total number of persons at the age of 15 or more, with completed higher education in the country (Janeska, 2003, p. 65-80). Unfortunately official state institutions still do not have this type of data. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the State Statistical Office, as relevant institutions regarding this type of data, were not able to provide such information so the number of highly educated citizens who have permanently left this country and the number of highly skilled returnees remains unknown.25 On the other side, the universities which have signed contracts for student mobility and exchanges and are crucial actor for this issues also confirm the impression of the governmental institutions about the incomplete data (Ivanov, Bozinoska and Bozoviki, 2011). Even the Macedonian Migration Profile, issued in 2009 by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia assesses the data and sources regarding the emigration from Macedonia to other countries as incomplete.

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