A brain drain is hitting Kazakhstan to increasing proportions as technicians, economists, teachers are leaving Kazakhstan. The outflow of qualified personnel for the last 4 years accelerated by 34-88%
The acceleration of the exodus of professionals from Kazakhstan follows an overall trend of an increasing outflow of population
The outflow of the population from Kazakhstan is intensifying; especially technical specialists, economists, and teachers leave the country. The growth of outflow of Kazakhstanis abroad has been steady for the last 4 years.
During the first 9 months of the current year, 11.9 thousand people have arrived in the country for permanent residence, to study or work. At the same time, 2.4 times more, or 28.2 thousand people left Kazakhstan for the same reasons. The indicator of the negative balance of migration movement this year reached a 10-year high this year
From 2007 to 2011 the picture was different: more people arrived to Kazakhstan, and less left the country as a result of which the balance of external migration was positive. However, in 2012 (January-September), the number of arrivals and departures equaled, and in subsequent years the rate of outflow of population only increased, while the number of people wishing to live and work in the Republic of Kazakhstan decreased significantly.
Traditionally, a strong outflow falls on the most mobile groups: technical, economic, pedagogical and medical professionals. This year, for one reason or another, more than 4.8 thousand technicians, 2.7 thousand economists, and 1.7 thousand pedagogues left the country for one reason or another. The outflow of specialists is not fully replenished: in return, only 990 potential technical employees, 627 economic specialists, and 537 pedagogues arrived in Kazakhstan.
Official data suggest that the majority of those who leave the country make their choice in favour of other CIS countries.
During the last 10 years, the minimum level of outflow of engineering experts from Kazakhstan was reached in January-September 2013, then 2.9 thousand of them left the country. During 4 years their numbers increased by 63.9%.
The outflow of economists this year almost reached the record of 2007. Then 2.73 such specialists left Kazakhstan during the first 9 months. However, the number of newly arriving economic specialists in January-September 2007 was at the level of 1.7 thousand people - i.е. 2.7 times more than so far this year.
Over the past 4 years, the number of qualified pedagogic personnel wishing to leave Kazakhstan has grown 55.2%, while the replacement ratio stood at 26.3% less.
Medical workers leave the country actively as well: this year 31.6% more of them left the Republic of Kazakhstan than in January-September 2013. At the same time, new potential medical personnel Kazakhstan arrived by 36.3% less than 4 years ago.
In September-October this year the problem of the ongoing brain drain has become one of the central topics discussed by parliamentarians in Kazakhstan. In particular, an inquiry was sent to the Education and Science Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan from the Ak Zhol deputies, who indicated that the existing system of scholarship distribution encourages many young people to look for other ways of obtaining free higher education in other countries such as Russia, the Czech Republic and China. Then young specialists no longer return to Kazakhstan.
In response, the Vice Minister of Education and Science, Askhat Aimagambetov, said that the ministry is ready to replace the UNT with entrance examinations for applicants for paid departments of universities. In addition, the ministry is considering granting scholarships to current entrants with high UNT results for other specialties, where there are undistributed grants.
Reported by Finprom (Kazakhstan).
