Skilled out-migration will remain high in Mexico

Significance

In her presentation, Alvarez-Buylla highlighted that Mexico has the second-highest talent migration level in the world after India, with over 1.4 million highly skilled Mexicans abroad. Of those who studied with a CONACYT scholarship between 2000 and 2014, 45.3% of postgraduates and 49.4% of those with doctorates did not return.

Impacts

• The budget for scientific research and development has been reduced systematically during the current administration.
• Low productivity and the size of the informal sector will continue to limit the economy’s ability to absorb highly educated workers.
• Highly skilled migration will remain fuelled by the USMCA, which retained visa provisions for professionals introduced by NAFTA.
• As long as crime, violence, corruption and impunity remain unabated, Mexico’s brain drain will continue, particularly in the case of women.