America’s Talent Drain

For hundreds of years America was seen as the land of opportunity. Anybody who was willing to work hard could come to America to make a fortune. This caused a “brain drain” throughout the world. While other countries lost their best and brightest, American gladly accepted the entrepreneurs and innovators of the world. These immigrants and their offspring built the most prosperous and powerful nation the world has ever known.

But, the twenty-first century will be different. America is seeing the beginnings of a “reverse brain drain.” This reversal will affect the lives of every American, as well as every person living anywhere on the planet.

Several factors are exacerbating the reverse brain drain: an international talent “shortage,” countries offering great opportunities to young professionals, anti-immigrant American policies, and the destruction of the American public school system.

Articles in leading magazines and journals talk about the international talent “shortage.” Actually, there is not a talent shortage, it’s a talent imbalance.

America, in fact, does have a severe talent shortage in the leading-edge professions, science, and technology. But, countries like China and India have a talent surplus. That is why you see so many talented Chinese and Indian professionals currently working in the U.S. But, as the Chinese and Indian economies continue to grow, so will the opportunities for these young professionals who want to work in their homelands.

Not only China and India, but many countries now see the advantages of bring their talented expatriates home. Vietnam is bringing home 300,000 expatriates per year. Brazil is luring home thousand of engineers and scientists. The Irish government has a special fund to help Irish entrepreneurs repatriate. Iceland has created a high-tech center to attract young professionals.

While foreign competitors are working to attract talent, the Americans are initiating policies to keep talent out. In post 9/11 America, anti-immigrant feelings are rapidly rising. American companies that were already losing their competitive positions to new capitalist companies in China and India have fueled the fire that has lead to anti-immigrant legislation. This legislation is not anti-terrorist, it’s anti-immigrant.

All of the above comes at a time when the American public school system has become a national disgrace. At a time when home-grown talent is critical, we have failed to educate our best and brightest. The American public school system now caters to the dumbest and laziest, while the best and brightest are bored and unchallenged. American students score at the bottom internationally in math and science; and their English language and writing skills are shameful. Perhaps we’ve lost an entire generation.

Where will America get the talent it needs?

For more discussion on this and related topics, please visit my website www.mikebeitler.com.