DEVELOPING “BRAIN GAIN” POLICIES IN THE WESTERN BALKANS - National Report: Macedonia
DEVELOPING “BRAIN GAIN” POLICIES IN THE WESTERN BALKANS - National Report: Macedonia

Author(s): Anastas Vangeli, Nedzad Mehmedovic, Bashkim Bakiu
Subject(s): Economy, National Economy, Migration Studies, Human Resources in Economy, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Grupa 484
Keywords: Brain drain; Macedonian
Summary/Abstract: Brain drain has been pointed as a crucial problem for the Macedonian economy in many reports and papers. Vedran Horvat (2004) has portrayed Macedonia as a case where: “brain drain is significant, where there is little awareness that a problem exists, and where almost no research has been carried out in order to examine what impact political instability has on highly skilled labour migration out of the country. There are at present no policies which could reverse the adverse effects of this exodus, and according to the available data, there are no signs of any measures planned for the future.” The data provided by the World Bank (2005) points to the fact that the emigration rate of tertiary educated is 20,9%. In previous studies conducted by the CRPM (2007), it was argued that brain drain is “one of the biggest problems of the country, linked with loss of investments in human capital, creative work force, etc” . The IOM Country Profile for Macedonia (2007) says that “over the past decade, (...) Macedonia, like most of its neighbors in South East Europe, has suffered from brain drain, with a strong decline in the number of researchers throughout the 1990s. Between 1995 and 2000, for example, the number of scientists and engineers in research and development has decreased by over seventy percent (from 1,332.7 per million people to only 387.2). A 2003 study estimated that between 12 to 15,000 young, educated, and highly skilled persons left the country in the decade proceeding the year of the study. However, there is no policy in place to address the brain drain or any research on the clear extent of the brain drain.” One large-scale survey on the aspirations of young people in Macedonia conducted in 2006 (FES/ IDSCS 2006) says that “the majority of the young people surveyed express a desire for permanent relocation”. Furthermore, the survey comes up with disturbing findings, such as the one that:“42.6% of the young people who are planning to emigrate would leave the country for good (...) Young people in the Republic of Macedonia perceive the same problems as other parts of the population, but the responses indicate that they place more emphasis on certain problems and needs. The main problem they report is unemployment. Young people who should become part of the workforce certainly don't want to join the ranks of the unemployed, or, on the other hand, to work for low salaries or at unsatisfying employment. That is the reason why some of them want to leave the country in the search for a more secure future. (...)”.

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