Today I look at “The Brain Drain” – the net loss of skilled people to out-migration; particularly the under-40s – and the impact this has on the Welsh economy and society.
It’s something the powers that be in Wales accept is a problem, yet have done little to date to address.
Stressing that this is under the banner of “Devil’s Advocate”, this piece will argue that a “Brain Drain” from Wales is unavoidable and – if for purely self-interest by those who move away – would be wrong to interfere with.
Look at it from the perspective of a soon-to-be graduate.
Would you stay in Wales, standing close to a 50% chance of ending up in a non-graduate role immediately following graduation? Or would you seek out opportunities suited to your skill set and career ambitions in a better-connected and more economically developed area?
There are certain industries and sectors – banking, professional sport, the military, the top of the legal profession, civil service, science, large swathes of academia – where you’re going to give yourself far more options by leaving Wales.
Ultimately, those who leave and don’t come back are not inherently “ambitious” and those who stay are not inherently “unambitious”. It comes down to personal choice and the impact of “push and pull factors”.
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It’s a mistake to think the “Brain Drain” is only from Wales towards England too.
In 2019-203, around 16,700 people aged 25-44 in Wales moved to England, while 18,500 in the same age group came in the other direction.
Most of the Welsh age group (19,600) remained in Wales and the majority of these (14,000) moved within or to the south (the Valleys and everything in between Carmarthenshire and Monmouthshire).
3. Stats Wales, “Migration flows in Wales and UK countries, by origin and destination”. Available at: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Population-and-Migration/Migration/Internal/migrationflowsinwalesandwithukcountries-by-origin-destination
