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.
There are two ways of looking at it.
The “to get on, you need to get out” view, on paper, is a good argument against independence.
If independence results in an economic slump or political crisis of some kind, it could accelerate the “brain drain” or even lead to a capital flight. We’ve seen that happen in Ireland several times since the 1920s.
It’s wrong and impractical to expect everyone born or raised in Wales to stay in Wales for their entire lives. That’s especially so if they have a particular talent, skill, career ambition or ability that they can’t develop here due to a lack of opportunities, or because “push factors” outnumber the “pull factors”.
People in that situation shouldn’t be expected to put their lives on hold out of a sense of patriotism.
There are some positive aspects to the “brain drain” too. For those who do return at some point, they might bring experience, investment and contacts back with them. For those who don’t return and go on to become successful – good on them. The diaspora is important for Scotland and Ireland and it’s a massively under-utilised network for Wales.
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That’s the doom and gloom interpretation, but independence could reverse the brain drain to a certain extent.
Many roles (particularly in the public sector) centralised in London or other English cities would likely need to be replicated in an independent Wales.
Off the top of my head that would include: diplomatic and foreign office staff, an equivalent of the DWP and Home Office, an entirely new judiciary, certain public regulators and regulatory bodies.
It’s quite likely that major private sector businesses would need to open a Welsh HQ for tax and compliance/regulatory reasons too.
