Is brain drain happening? The answer appears to be ‘no’ if statistics by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment are to be believed. Yes, there has been a steep jump in the number of highly skilled and highly qualified workers going abroad. In 2022, the jump was 178pc, which could have been because of the pent-up demand and supply of the pandemic. By 2023, when things had quieted, the jump was of 76pc.

The numbers available up to August show a relatively lower per month average: about 4,700 highly qualified and highly skilled people leaving per month on average in 2024 compared to 5,700 in 2023.

According to the Higher Education Commission, over 400,000 undergrads, postgrads, and PhDs enter the market annually. Even if it does seem that all your childhood friends and cousins have left the country and you are the only one left behind, the numbers don’t show it to be true. This is in part because the elite of Pakistan compete with their counterparts from countries like India and China when attempting to emigrate.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, September 16th, 2024