Brain Drain or Policy Drain? Why Professionals Keep Leaving

The government boasts of securing   US $8 billion in terms of remittances from expatriate workers. It is an achievement for a country   starved for foreign exchange revenue, for sure.  Yet, there is another perspective regarding this matter.    In recent times,   Turkish Ambassador Semih Lütfü Turgut, during a roundtable discussion organised by Pathfinder Foundation,   cut through this convenient narrative.

He said that the continued outflow of skilled workers would result in a shortage of them in Sri Lanka at one point in the future.  In that sense, what Sri Lanka is experiencing today is not simply a brain drain. Sri Lanka, at one point, should find different means to revive its economic growth for the retention of talent.  

Of course, migration of talent is not unique to Sri Lanka, nor is it inherently negative. Countries such as India and Vietnam have also experienced waves of outward migration. The difference lies in whether professionals leave with the intention of returning, investing, or maintaining productive ties — or whether they leave because domestic conditions are untenable in professional and economic terms. In Sri Lanka’s case, the latter is the reality.

It is a troubling story for Sri Lanka. Doctors, engineers, accountants, IT professionals, academics, and skilled technicians are departing in large numbers. Many are mid-career professionals — precisely the lot needed to rebuild institutions, modernise industries, and mentor the next generation. Their departure weakens not only the economy but also the state’s capacity to govern effectively.

The Turkish Ambassador’s remarks are significant because they frame the issue through the lens of investment and productivity rather than sentiment. Investors look not only at tax incentives and infrastructure but also at the availability and stability of skilled human capital. If a country   exports its talent without replenishment, it is a negative scenario. In fact, it should export talent with replenishment only.  The government should take steps to encourage skilled people to stay . Then, it will boost Sri Lanka’s ambition to attract foreign direct investment.

Professionals need higher salaries. Equally, they need career progression   without merit being subordinated to political loyalty. When professionals feel unheard, undervalued, or constantly second-guessed by political authority, leaving becomes the only form of protest available. Today, Sri Lanka continues to celebrate remittances from migrant workers as a macroeconomic lifeline while ignoring the long-term costs of losing skilled labour. Remittances can stabilise foreign reserves, but they cannot substitute for domestic innovation, institutional reform, or productivity growth.  

Currently, Sri Lanka is attempting a fragile recovery amid climate shocks and economic crisis. This is precisely when competent professionals are most needed — to design reforms, manage public finances, strengthen regulatory oversight, and restore public trust. Losing them now is   unfortunate.

Sri Lanka has yet to articulate a coherent strategy for human capital retention. Discussions remain fragmented, often reduced to moral appeals for patriotism rather than concrete policy reform. Limited economic opportunities and consequent increased outmigration of skilled workers pose concerns for the recovery, and the quality of public service delivery, particularly in an aging society, according to the World Bank. In developing human capital by improving education and health service delivery standards is equally critical. Strengthening the social protection system will safeguard the most vulnerable and ensure the recovery’s benefits are inclusive and broad-based, the World Bank said in a report issued last year.

Sri Lanka should increase opportunities in the education sector to provide opportunities for young people to gain skills. There are enough and more people who have the necessary skills to become professionals. Yet, they are denied opportunities because of lack of slots in the higher education sector. It should seek private sector involvement in the development of higher education -- to put up new universities.  If Sri Lanka is serious about retaining talent and rebuilding its economy, human capital development must move from rhetoric to action. Expanding educational opportunities, modernising health services, and strengthening social protection are investments  very much needed at the moment.

 At the same time, the government must pay   attention to the productive employment of Sri Lankans returning from abroad with newly acquired skills and experience. Many returnees bring exposure to advanced technologies, global best practices, and professional standards that could add significant value to the domestic economy. Yet, in the absence of structured reintegration pathways, their skills often remain underutilised or wasted.