Brain drain bigger than thought

2003-07-16 17:39

Johannesburg - The number of qualified South Africans leaving the country for greener pastures may be three times the official figure, the Afrikaans daily Beeld reported on Wednesday, quoting a government statistician.

The official, Obed Shigadhla, who works for Statistics South Africa, said the official emigration figures were grossly understated.

"Researchers compared Statistics South Africa's figures to those of the five countries of choice they emigrate to, and found that generally 3.5 times more South Africans emigrated between 1989 and 2001 than was officially given," he told the newspaper.

Shigadhla said that according to official sources, just more than 58 000 South Africans declared that they had emigrated from the country between 1996 and 2001. About 22% (13 085) were professionals.

Brain drain

But only 62% of South Africans completed a compulsory departure form when leaving from the country's three international airports, leading to the under-estimation.

"Other people don't correctly complete the forms, or say they are leaving to do contract work and then decide to emigrate without informing us," he added.

The "brain drain" is a term used when referring to skilled workers leaving a country to live overseas. Many skilled South Africans emigrate to Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

They are mainly white South Africans with university degrees, and leave because of opposition to the change to a black democratically elected government in 1994 or to flee South Africa's high crime rate and what they see as poor career prospects for their children.

- AFX