By Mark McNish Thursday, September 4 2008

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER Hollick Rajkumar in a 2006 article noted that the local demand for talent had outstripped supply. “There is no way the country could produce the quality and quantity of talent this economy demands under traditional human capital development programmes,” he said. He also said such a situation would be true for any boom economy anywhere in the world, especially one with the limited population base of Trinidad and Tobago (TT).

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report “Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration” two major labour market forces are in operation today that result in increased migration: (1) Many people of working age either cannot find employment or cannot find employment adequate to support themselves and their families in their own countries. (2) Demographic changes, socio-economic and political crises, and widening wage gaps within, as well as between, developed and developing countries.

Location of skilled labour at home or abroad in the form of skilled and experienced professional or students in higher education is being viewed as a key determinant of national development in the 21st century.

Therefore it would appear that in TT we have a challenge on two fronts: (1) Skilled workers who are migrating (2) Students pursuing their studies abroad and never returning to TT.



Magnitude of the

problem in TT



According to a 2006 paper entitled “Reversing the Brain Drain in Trinidad and Tobago: Can South American Migrants Offer a Viable Solution?” brain drain statistics for Trinidad and Tobago indicate that the loss of human capital to the OECD counties is substantial, particularly in the medical field and in the teaching profession (See Table 1). It is likely that the data is also highlighting those underlying “pull factors” that potential employers are able to use to their advantage such as opportunities for greater professional expansion; set up by developed country employers; opportunities for offspring education; and perceived better socio/political infrastructure.

The data in the Table1 suggests a potentially negative impact on the country’s development due to brain drain. Almost forty seven percent of the people who leave Trinidad and Tobago have tertiary education; clearly this cannot be in the interest of the country especially if we are to pursue the path of development.





Table 2 below shows the problem from an educational perspective. High rates of migration for persons with tertiary level education range from 36 percent for the Bahamas and Saint Lucia to 90 percent for Suriname. The data below compares the level of migration by country as per level of schooling to specific destinations.

those migrants with increasingly higher levels of education are leaving for the OECD and US markets. The latter market in particular uses its marketing capabilities to promote college and university fairs which offer very attractive long term educational opportunities; these efforts are effectively supported and co-organised by diplomatic missions. Recognising the lead the United States has taken in the recruitment of global knowledge, other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Holland are also taking new initiatives to also recruit their share of the global talent.



1) The inability of Trinidad and Tobago to develop and maintain its current stock of human capital could pose an inequity problem from a developmental perspective;

2) The outflow of any labour, unskilled or skilled, slows economic growth.

3) The development of an infrastructure of middlemen whose livelihood depends on moving skilled migrants across borders; this as an economic opportunity would exacerbate the problem of skilled worker migration.

Possible Solutions to the Problem

Thomas-Hope in her paper, “Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: Study of the Caribbean,” advocates some policy initiatives that may be considered.

1. Retain Nationals-There is need for governments to consider policies that restrict the mobility of skilled nationals because of their importance to national development.

2. Place Restrictions on International Mobility-Government could establish specific conditionalities as it pertains to the duration of stay for the skilled worker in another country.

3. Encourage the Return of Migrants to Trinidad and Tobago –Encourage nationals to return home through the use of incentives.

Conclusions

Skill migrants who leave their countries are probably most interested in maximising their incomes and opportunities. However, the loss of human capital will more likely than not impede the national development. Our ability to enhance the socio economic climate which may redound to the best and brightest staying at home.



Mark McNish is the Marketing & Research Manager, Guardian Life of the Caribbean Ltd.

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life.



TABLE 1:

PERCENTAGE RATES OF TERTIARY-EDUCATED CARIBBEAN MIGRANTS

Country Tertiary Educated Share of Total Migrants Migration Rates of Tertiary Educated

Dominican Republic 22.6 14.2

Jamaica 41.7 67.3

Trinidad and Tobago 46.7 57.2

Guyana 40.7 77.3

Source: Adapted from Carrington and Detragiache, 1998.



Table 2:

Percent of Labor Force that Migrated to OECD Countries and the USA by Level of Schooling, 2000.

Country Level of Schooling



Primary %

Secondary%

Tertiary%

OECD USA OECD USA OECD USA

Antigua and

Barbuda 6 5 36 29 71 63

Bahamas 2 2 12 10 36 36

Barbados 10 4 24 20 61 46

Belize 6 3 49 58 51 51

Dominica 8 6 61 53 59 47

Grenada 10 5 70 60 67 55

Guyana 14 6 34 30 86 77

Jamaica 8 4 30 27 83 76

St Kitts and Nevis 10 7 37 29 72 63

St Lucia 3 2 32 33 36 25

St Vincent and

the Grenadines 6 3 53 50 57 42

Suriname 18 - 44 - 90 -

Trinidad and Tobago 6 3 21 17 78 68

Source Mishra 2006

Implications for Trinidad and Tobago