Brain Drain

Definition (Wikipedia): A brain drain or human capital flight is an emigration of trained and talented individuals ("human capital") to other nations or jurisdictions, due to conflicts, lack of opportunity, or health hazards where they are living.

BBCnews: China's lost talent overseas

Inquirer.net: China suffers from worst brain drain in the world--report

Brain drain is a known phenomenon since 1960 and considered a problem for the development of a country as a whole. But it's the host country that most likely benefited from this phenomenon.

In third world countries, people especially those coming from countryside always look for opportunities to improve life and most likely end up in metropolis to pursue their dreams and aspirations.

City lifestyles and those from countryside are totally different. The person concerned need to understand and adjust to the environment, and most likely need to adapt the language.

Opportunities in the city seems endless, however, competition is also cutthroat. One must be one step ahead of the pack to make the difference.

According to Thomas L. Friendman, the World is Flat. This means that we have to run faster to stay relevant and in place. It could mean that anybody can compete with big companies for the playing field is flat.

Does flattening of the world resolves brain drain problem?

There are companies that do well with the flattening of the world. But to individuals without the necessary resources still have to struggle. There are few people who made it, but majority are still working for the big companies.

In third world, people working for companies with the same work load or more are only earning a fraction of their counter parts' salaries in developed countries. In effect, the employees were exploited by local companies.

When this type of information is available to the individual concerned, then he'll be encouraged to find opportunities abroad. If he can perform a good job locally, then probability is he can work and compete with others abroad. Sometimes staying in the country will be a second option when opportunities abroad are attainable.

There are other issues that may also affect individuals when migrating to other countries, but most often those will take the backseat when considering the pros and cons of the action taken.

Whatever reasons given by each individual, the bottom line is economics.