THE FRENCH BRAIN DRAIN IN THE DIGITAL FIELD
Brain drain : This is the emigration of people with high qualifications to countries with better living conditions. This expression came into existence in the 60s. We are in a time of great digital transformation, and companies are constantly looking for talent in this field. The digital talents want to leave France to settle in others countries like Canada or Switzerland. A problematic brain drain for France at this time.
WHICH BRAINS ARE THE MOST CONCERNED
As you may know, education open many doors. And it’s possible that some of this doors open abroad.
Brains who are most inclined to escape from France are young and they have gone through the school or university benches. So you understand, the common denominator between those brains is : high level of educational attainment. They leave for a future they consider better. If we do a focus on France :
- about 75% of employees in the digital field, want to leave abroad
- there were almost 2 million French expats in 2017 (2.2% increase over the previous year)
These talents are multi-functional :
- concept in the computing code
- web development
- developers
- webdesign
- …
They are increasingly sought after by large companies or digital organizations. However, they have a price, and it is high..
WHAT ARE THE MOST ATTRACTIVE DESTINATIONS?
On a global scale, 67% of this rare jewels are ready to break the mould for better professional opportunities (compared to 55% for highly qualified people who are not in the digital sector).
So we see that a lot of young talent in the digital field want to move abroad BUT the question is where, in which countries?
Among the most attractive destinations for french talents we have :
- The USA
- Germany
- Australie
- United Kingdom
- And the most attractive : Canada and Switzerland
In fact, they prioritize Francophone cities to settle abroad, like Geneva or Montreal. Moreover, contrary to the USA, Canada has a point system in place (CRS), to benefit of an “express” entry into the country.
The CRS evaluates and classifies profiles according to different criteria including:
- skills,
- education and language skills
- work experience,
- Etc...
This test must be passed once you have been declared eligible to immigrate to Canada. Then, if you have enough points, everything goes very quickly and you get a response within six months. A system that is far more equitable than American random selection and that seems to appeal to international profiles.
BUT THEN, HOW DO WE STEM A BRAIN DRAIN?
In France, there are about 100k people who expatriate each year. You wonder what are the main causes? Tax instability and also regulations deemed to be too intrusive or even restrictive.
So to face the brain drain of our elite, French Tech champions (like Blablacar, Sigfox or Kapten) work together around a common goal : enhance the attractiveness of France internationally by starting by recovering a maximum of French expatriates with Tech skills. This is how the initiative “Reviens Léon, on innove à la maison” was born.
Moreover, contrary to popular opinion, these talents attach greater importance to the development of their skills and the content of their missions, rather than job security and the relationship with the hierarchy. Data that countries will need to take into account if they are to attract the best digital talent.
TO CONCLUDE
There is no and never will be a miracle solution against brain drain. Each country experiencing this phenomenon has its own limits (politic, economic, etc…). So, of course, the means of solving the problem will therefore be specific to each country’s environment.
TO GO FURTHER
- https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/en/2018/12/21/brain-drain-back-to-france/ : why people back to France
- https://www.thelocal.fr/20140829/french-brain-gain-attractiveness : Does France really suffer from a brain drain?
- http://www.leparisien.fr/archives/reviens-leon-on-innove-a-la-maison-11-01-2016-5438129.php : “reviens Léon on innove à la maison”
- https://medium.com/@craig.axford/the-great-american-brain-drain-b0da9eb7ed2 : american brain drain
