Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Brain drain is something we hear about increasingly often in the news. For those who’ve heard about the term but aren’t too sure about what it means, it describes the situation in which professionals leave in a large number from their home country to work and live abroad. It usually happens in less developed countries, where citizens leave to more developed countries.
As Malaysia is a less developed country, the issue is a significant one here. Many Malaysians dream of leaving the country, with ambitions to gain residency overseas in places like the US, Europe and Australia.
The problem of brain drain is an important issue in the country as reports have shown that it currently grows at a rate of 6% every year.
There are now an estimated 2 million Malaysians who are living and working abroad.
Why does brain drain happen?
- Lack of opportunities
A huge part of why Malaysians choose to emigrate is due to lack of opportunities over here. Unless you’re well-connected or you belong to an in-group, it can be hard to get certain positions or certain roles, or even employment at some companies. This year, out of over a thousand employees who were surveyed 72% said that they would consider leaving Malaysia for better career prospects.
- Low minimum wage
Another reason is Malaysia’s abysmal minimum wage. As we have seen this week, the cost of living has gone up massively: the price of vegetables has recently spiked up, yet our minimum wage remains constant at RM1,200. Sadly, the minimum wage is much lower than the poverty wage of RM2,200. The pandemic also hit Malaysians very hard, with many households from higher income categories moving into lower categories because of loss of income and poverty, the cause behind the White Flag campaign.
- Badly planned wage structures in local companies
Aside from the issue of the low minimum wage, many industries have flawed wage structures. Even if you were to make it to a role as a highly specialised and skilled worker, you might still be earning very little. Even our medical industry has this problem, and doctors are even denied basic salary hikes.
- Lack of specialised industries
A friend, Arvin, pointed out the number of “bio-whatever grads who are working in anything but that”. It’s true though. Graduates from a lot of specialised fields (and especially those from creative industries) are often unable to find work in their chosen field. Apparently, 95% of workers in unskilled jobs as well as 50% in low-skilled jobs are actually overqualified. Meanwhile, fresh grads who are unable to find employment make up 55% of all unemployed Malaysians.
- Human rights concerns
Malaysia’s human rights stand is also comparatively weak. Dyson recently dropped a Malaysian supplier, citing concerns over labour rights issues, and the US has barred imports from Malaysian manufacturers because of the poor living and working conditions provided to migrant workers.
Besides labour rights, Malaysia is also strongly anti-LGBT. Talented young Malaysian queers grow up in the country knowing discrimination from all sides, and obviously yearn for a home in which they can be safe. At the moment, there are no laws that provide queer Malaysians with protection against queerphobia – and queer Malaysians know better than to hope for the country’s stand on the LGBT community to change.
The effects of brain drain on Malaysia
When young professionals leave the country for greener pastures, the country that is left behind suffers a loss: a loss in economic capital that these people could have brought in; a loss of new young and innovative brains in the nation’s talent pool; a loss of workers to support growing industries; the list goes on. It’s an issue that’s much bigger than a weak GDP.
A 2015 World Bank report shows that more and more Malaysians are moving abroad, with 72% of Malaysians moving specifically for better career opportunities. In addition to that, a statistic that is apparently often quoted is that 2 out of 10 Malaysians eventually leave the country to live overseas. As for the UK, the top 13th country that immigrants originate from is Malaysia.
Unfortunately, brain drain is probably going to continue happening – unless the country manages to resolve the issues that motivate its citizens to leave.
Is it likely that Malaysia can reverse this situation? Only time will tell.
For more stories like this, read: I Told My Parents I’m Gay, and Here’s How They Reacted, 3 Pros & Cons of Migrating to Australia By A Malaysian Girl and The Olympics Showed The Ugly Side of Malaysians & I’m Ashamed.
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