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PAKISTAN’S brain drain issue is developing into a crisis. The number of educated, skilled and unskilled Pakistanis leaving this country for better opportunities abroad has exponentially increased in the past three years.

Yet migration is not only associated with developing countries like Pakistan. Even in developed countries, people migrate for various political and social reasons. Currently, in the US, after the election of President Donald Trump, a surge has been witnessed in skilled and qualified American citizens moving abroad. The reasons are political and social.

In Pakistan’s context, emigration is not a new phenomenon. Generations of Pakistanis have historically been migrating from one place to another. At the time of independence, millions migrated from the present-day India to the new state of Pakistan. Even after independence, people migrated during different time periods to work or study and formed diaspora communities. So, what’s different and new with this ongoing migration?

The first difference is the unprecedented numbers of talented people that have depa¬r¬ted Pakistan. From 2022 to 2024 nearly 2.5 million Pakistanis left the country for better opportunities abroad.

Most do not want to return. The reasons for this mass exodus of educated people, professionals and skilled and unskilled labour are known to everyone. Economic and political instability, lack of employment and professional opportunities, low wages, insecurity etc, are often mentioned as the push factors.

Other than these, we have failed to provide opportunities to the younger generation according to the present era’s needs. We lag in technology, infrastructure and innovation.

Today’s generation is well-connected with the world and well-aware about the progress other countries are making. All they see here is regression, instead of progression. They believe, and rightly so, that we are not technologically advanced.

The youth don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is perhaps one of the reasons there is widespread hopelessness and desperation, particularly among young people. They don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you ask students in a class about how many of them want to go abroad after their undergrad degree, 90 per cent of them raise their hands. Among the 90pc almost all of them want to go abroad not just for graduate degrees but with an aim not to come back and find work here.

Third is the unfair tax regime which our policymakers seem ignorant about. The salaried class, which is already struggling due to low wages in Pakistan as compared to other countries, is under intense burden of paying higher taxes each year.

Despite poor working conditions, they are contributing a whopping 10pc of the total income tax collected from Pakistan. And in each fiscal year, the tax contribution of salaried individuals is increasing. The over-taxation of the salaried class as compared to traders and other segments is another driver pushing the professional class to find work abroad.

Is this mass exodus of Pakistanis a one-way loss? For our policymakers, it is not. They seem happy that overseas Pakistanis are contributing to the country’s GDP thr¬ough remittances. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, in 2024, the remittances reached $34.63 billion, a 31pc increase from 2023.

Although this foreign currency inflow is crucial to maintain foreign exchange reserves, it is not a long-term solution. Countries are not run on remittances. Any global economic shock can drastically change the situation. And most importantly, this migration comes with an economic cost.

The country of origin invests in education while the destination country recei¬¬-ves a talented, educated professional without investing in their education. For example, health education in Pakistan is heavily subsidised and the number of doctors and health staff getting employment in foreign countries is staggering. Furthermore, there is also a productivity loss that the country of origin has to bear.

While brain drain poses a serious challenge, the situation can also be beneficial for Pakistan. Ali Asher Anjum in his book Brain Drain and Beyond mentions that people migrate for better opportunities. They acquire skills, knowledge, expertise and create global networks.

However, this mig¬ration is less out of desire and more out of necessity. Initially, what we see is brain drain, but it can be turned into ‘brain circulation’, ie return of these skilled people to their home country. Even if 5pc of these people return to Pakistan, it will have a great impact. China and India are key examples of brain circulation. But, to turn this crisis into an opportunity, we need to create an environment where these skills are utilised and talent is encouraged and recognised.

The writer is assistant professor and fellow of the Centre for Business and Economic Research at IBA, Karachi.

This article was originally published on Dawn.
Views in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect CGS policy.