Barbados risks losing a generation of talented young people unless the government acts to create more opportunities at home, former central bank governor Dr DeLisle Worrell said, even as he called on academically qualified and professionally skilled Barbadians to migrate for better prospects abroad.
Cities such as New York, Washington DC, Miami, Toronto and London offer richer, fuller experiences for social life and professional activities than can be found anywhere in the Caribbean, he said in his latest, monthly, self-published newsletter, entitled The Brain Drain in the Caribbean.
Dr Worrell, who quoted figures from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs that in 2024, the proportion of the population born in Barbados that lives abroad is seven per cent, wrote: “The wisest counsel for many young people who, even after years of academic achievement, face a job market that is stagnant, overly competitive or just not equipped to absorb them, is to migrate abroad.
“In North America and Europe, they will find markets that are broader and deeper where they may deploy their skills.”
Dr Worrell noted that even in areas where the Caribbean employs skilled labour, “the path to the top is short, with few senior posts on offer”.
“As individuals deepen their knowledge and skills they find there are no openings for further advancement at home,” he said.
The economist offered advice to Barbados and other regional governments on how they can mitigate the brain drain.
“Caribbean governments may provide incentives to retain skills by improving their international competitiveness and attracting investment to increase productive capacity and the demand for skilled workers,” he said.
Worrell further suggested that Caribbean governments should ensure stable exchange rates and efficient public administration to provide the best platform for job-creating investment at home.
“At the same time, governments should remove any disincentive to the emigration of those who can find no suitable domestic opportunity to employ their skills and pursue their interests and abilities,” he added. (EJ)
The post Ex-central banker urges govt to stem brain drain, but tells youth to leave appeared first on Barbados Today.
