Government claims that the “brain regain” program is bearing fruit, with young scientists and specialists returning to Greece, are refuted by both Greek and international data.
Lois Lambrianidis, a former professor at the University of Macedonia, notes that brain drain is migration of highly qualified specialists abroad has not only not stopped, but continues to gain momentum, although with some differences from the crisis period.
The professor took part in a study by the University of Harokop on human resource mobility in Greece, the results of which are expected to be presented shortly. The study examines different categories of workers: those who have left or are leaving Greece in search of better job prospects abroadthose who returnsand also those who work remotely in foreign companies and the so-called “digital nomads”.
Those who return face worse working conditions
“Even those who return to Greece usually do so for personal or family reasons, rather than because of problems in the labor market. They know that when they return they will find a job that does not match their qualifications, and this makes them anxious,” states Mr. Lambrianidis. The expert emphasizes that even after signing the memorandum tThousands of working-age people from all walks of life continue to leave Greece. Among them are not only scientists and qualified specialists, but also unskilled workers. Among them are both Greeks and immigrants who have lived here for decades, and children of immigrants who have never known another country other than Greece.
According to a study by the ENA Institute, over the four-year period from 2019 to 2022, more than 280,000 people belonging to the economically active population left Greece. Since 2010, more than one million people have left the country, especially the most productive age group of 25–44 years.
Mr. Lambrianidis believes that a paradigm shift is needed, i.e. a change in approaches to country development is required to create demand for specialized human resources. He emphasizes that specialized staff also need to be recruited in the public sector, which is key to sustainable development.
Regarding the constant complaints from employers that they cannot find staff with the necessary skills, Mr Lambrianides says pointedly: “Employers say that, but they also do other things. If this is not controlled and left in the market, it can lead to serious problems.”
The professor probably means, among other things, overworking hours, unpaid overtime, not only the legal six-day work, but also the 12-hour seven-day work week during the tourist season, as well as “gray” and “black” days – unofficial wages for undisclosed and implied work, whose purchasing power remains one of the lowest in Europe, despite a nominal increase.
We are falling in “talent attraction”
In Greece, in 2024, a significant decline was recorded in the global index of “attracting and using talent” in the labor market – World Talent Ranking, which is published annually by the IMD Center for Global Competitiveness. The ranking measures how economies around the world are performing in terms of talent retention, combining survey responses and IMD data from 67 countries around the world. According to the report, these figures are broken down into three categories: investment and development of domestic talent, attractiveness (the extent to which a country taps its talent pool overseas) and readiness (the availability of skills and abilities in the talent pool).
The independent academic institute, which also acts as an advisory body to businesses and organizations, also publishes the Global Competitiveness Index, which ranks Greece 47th out of 67 economies. Data for Greece are collected in collaboration with the Greek Industrialists' Association and IOBE.
Greece ranked 44th on the list, down seven places from the 2023 ranking and recording its worst position in recent years. As noted in the study, our country ranked 37th in 2020, 33rd in 2021, 37th in 2022 and 37th in 2023. The fall was due to brain drain. According to certain study indicators, Greece is in 37th place in terms of investment and competitiveness.
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