• Professionals blame their exodus on the authorities’ not creating conducive environment and Govt mismanaging crisis 

“Everyone wants to preach to professionals as to how their leaving Sri Lanka would adversely impact the country, but only a handful talk about how remaining here amidst the prevailing economic and political situation threatens their professional and personal lives and future. It seems like we want to save the country at the expense of its professionals’ lives.”

This was what 40-year-old A.R. Fernando* – an information technology (IT) professional employed in a leading IT company – had to say in response to claims that professionals leaving the country seeking better living and working conditions would affect the country’s economy and that they should therefore remain in the country to contribute to the economy. 

His opinion about the need to leave the country was shared by several IT, graphic designing, medical, and engineering professionals who spoke with The Morning, most of whom noted that instead of pressuring professionals to remain in the country, the authorities must focus on pushing for positive changes in the economic and political spheres to encourage professionals to continue to work and live here.

Better lives in better countries

The majority of the professionals who spoke with The Morning saw leaving the country for better living and working conditions overseas as the best, if not the only, measure that they could take to ensure their financial stability. 

“It is unfair to expect professionals to be excessively selfless so as to sacrifice their personal and professional lives in order to save the country. That is simply not practical,” Fernando added.

“This is more of a situation of every man/woman for themselves, and every person is doing that. The cost of living has increased by about 200-300%, and although economic activities have stabilised the economy somewhat, it is still in a very risky situation. The worst part is that the Government is expected to resolve the economic situation but it seems to be taking measures only within its comfort zone, which also means that it is ready to put all the burden of the economic crisis on the people and businesses, while being careful enough to ensure that politicians and high-ranking officials are not affected to the same extent. In this context, professionals’ tendency to leave the country is not just a matter of the economic crisis, but because they are not seeing adequate promising signs that the economic conditions will get better anytime soon.” 

In response to a question about better professional opportunities abroad, Fernando added: “I have received several job offers from foreign firms, all of which could improve my professional career. The only reason that is keeping me in Sri Lanka is the agreement that I have signed with my current employer, which does not allow me to resign for another year. As soon as my agreement expires, I will leave the country.”

Meanwhile, J.L. Herath*, a 46-year-old doctor working in the private health care sector, (name changed on request), also revealed his plans to leave the country. He noted that despite the fact that working as a doctor in Sri Lanka affords a number of perks, in a context where the economic crisis has negatively impacted his professional growth, he sees leaving the country as being the best option. 

He added: “As a doctor, my situation is still manageable for the time being. However, the private healthcare sector is facing massive challenges due to the economic crisis. On the one hand, our professional growth, which affects our income to a great extent, has become stagnant as patients’ economic strength has declined, and on the other hand, waiting to see whether the country’s economic situation would get better is not an advisable decision because we do not see convincing measures being taken by the Government.” 

When queried about his opinion about the economic impacts of medical professionals leaving the country, Herath opined that while such impacts are unavoidable, they would not be as significant as portrayed by various parties, since those who leave the country will still remit money to their families, which will improve the foreign reserves situation. He added that therefore, what the Government should do is to ensure that medical professionals who leave the country still contribute to the country’s economy, instead of forcing them to remain in the country. He noted that while the healthcare sector would face serious consequences from this situation, the Government should take responsibility for this and take measures to mitigate the impact.

In addition, a decline in business due to the economic crisis was cited by several professionals as the main reason for their plans to leave the country. They opined that the satisfactory working conditions and income they secured in Sri Lanka were severely impacted by the economic crisis, and that generating such income in similar working conditions abroad is now an attractive opportunity. 

In this regard, 30-year-old graphic designer Yasitha Thilanka said: “I had a very satisfactory income before the economic crisis worsened. But now, I am not making at least 50% of that income, even though inflation has risen threefold. Many companies to which I provided my services are in dire financial situations, and I have lost several freelance contracts, on which a large share of my income depended. 

“I cannot afford to wait until the country’s economic situation improves, and there is no assurance that it will happen before I go bankrupt. Therefore, I am planning to leave the country even if a foreign job offers me the same amount of money I made before the economic crisis broke out. Even an ordinary job abroad now seems to be a better choice and a change I do not want to miss.” 

Speaking of the sentiments against the professionals that are leaving the country, he opined that any ordinary Sri Lankan, including those who say that professionals should not seek foreign jobs, would similarly avail such opportunities if they are available. Moreover, he said, many IT and graphic designing professionals known to him are also contemplating leaving the country, while scores have already done so. 

Similarly, 45-year-old civil engineer Nadun Rasika Gunasena, who has made arrangements to join a Europe based firm, expressed likewise opinions, further noting that he is more than willing to remain in the country or immediately return if a better economic environment is created. 

“If the Government genuinely thinks that professionals should remain in Sri Lanka, all it has to do is address the economic crisis. I understand that it is taking certain steps to do so; however, until those steps result in satisfactory and tangible changes, I choose to live and work in a place where the income meets my needs. I do not think that anyone has a right to ask people to live in a place where there is no guarantee of future success. Be it abroad or in Sri Lanka, everyone is seeking a better opportunity.”

Brain drain and its impacts in the current economic context

Meanwhile, speaking of the impacts of brain drain in the current economic context, think-tank Advocata Institute Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dhananath Fernando noted that it could not only further weaken the crisis hit economy but could also affect industries that have managed to still operate to a satisfactory extent. Adding that for any product or industry to come into existence, land, labour, and capital are necessary, he explained that Sri Lanka losing labour means that it is losing skills too, of which the impacts would be felt within the next two years.

“Many who are leaving the country are people who are capable of doing something. It is mainly because of those who are capable of doing something that those who do not have the same capability could do something. When the former group is leaving the country, the second group will be rendered unable to achieve as much as before,” he stated, talking about the impacts of the brain drain on the general population, stressing that that is one of the main challenges that the country is facing in the current economic context. 

He explained: “A large number of people leave for work for countries such as Nigeria, Venezuela, and Yemen, and the countries to which they are migrating get huge benefits concerning labour. In Sri Lanka’s case, a lot of people we invested in through the free education system will migrate, and the countries that they are migrating to will benefit from these professionals. At the same time, businesses that are still operating in good conditions within Sri Lanka will also get affected due to the migration of professionals, and they will also consider moving their businesses to other countries or be left with inadequate profits. 

“In addition, overall, activities that require labour will face massive issues. One of the reasons that companies such as Google do not start businesses in Sri Lanka is that they do not have an adequate number of IT professionals in Sri Lanka to recruit. Therefore, when we lose even the professionals that we have, that is a challenge.” 

When questioned about the brain drain’s impacts on crucial sectors such as health and IT, he noted that professionals of those sectors are necessary to push the economy forward, and therefore, the migration of such professionals will affect the country’s economic growth, even if Sri Lanka receives foreign investment for new businesses. 

With regard to the sentiment that even the professionals who leave Sri Lanka could still contribute to the economy through foreign remittances, Fernando explained: “In addition, those who are leaving the country will still send home some amount of money, which will increase foreign remittances. Even in that case, there is a question as to whether that would be adequate to keep the economy at the same level, because of the gap between the income a professional could make in a Sri Lankan company and the income such a professional could make by doing a job abroad.”

The best measure that could be taken to keep professionals in the country, according to Fernando, is by gradually instilling trust in the people that the country is systematically achieving economic stability. Forcing professionals to remain in the country, he stressed, would worsen the prevailing situation of brain drain.  

*Names have been changed on request