Britons Lured Abroad in Record Numbers
Britain is experiencing the worst “brain drain” of any country as highly qualified professionals settle abroad, according to a study by the OECD. Record numbers of Britons are leaving – many of them doctors, teachers and engineers – in the biggest exodus from the UK for almost 50 years.
The telegraph.uk reported that there are now 3.247 million British-born people living abroad, of whom more than 1.1 million are highly skilled university graduates. No other country is losing so many qualified people. Britain has now lost more than one in 10 of its most skilled citizens, while overall only Mexico has had more people emigrate.
The figures, based on official records from more than 220 countries, will alarm Gordon Brown as tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money is spent on educating graduates. The cost of training a junior doctor, for example, is £250,000.
The most popular destinations are English-speaking countries such as Australia, America, Canada and New Zealand and holiday areas including France and Spain. Almost 60 per cent of those leaving take jobs, although hundreds of thousands of retired people live abroad.
The motivations for leaving Britain were not studied. However, high house prices and taxes and poor climate are frequently cited.
A spokesman for the Paris-based OECD said last night: “British people have lots of opportunities to move and work abroad so very highly-skilled people are travelling around. It is seen by many British people as part of their personal development to have some experience abroad.”
Britain’s exodus is far higher than any of the OECD’s other 29 members. Germany has lost only 860,000 highly-skilled workers, America 410,000 and France 370,000.
Danny Sriskandarajah, a migration expert at the IPPR think-tank, said: “There is a long-term trend of British people lured abroad by a slightly better lifestyle. They are actively targeted by countries such as Australia and New Zealand.”
The emigration was leading to a rapid change in British society as large numbers of highly-skilled immigrants moved to this country to replace those leaving, he said.
“Britain has been lucky – although it has lost substantial numbers of people, it has attracted more than a million skilled immigrants to replace them. If they stop coming then that would be a problem.”
Figures from the Office for National Statistics last year, suggested that 207,000 Britons – one every three minutes – left in 2006. The emigration rate is at its highest since just after the Second World War.
I am so fed up with the continual winging of the Little Englanders, stirred up by the Media. I ...
while staying abroad do we have to inform British consulate there? How long a naturalised citizen can stay outside uk? 
One should have the right to live anywhere in the world and remain a loyal british subject, just as i ...
I worked and paid tax and NI for over 40 years I was never unemployed and never claimed any sort ...
my husband worked for the same company for 45 years paying tax and NI, i worked for 35 years only ...
Comment by ozbot on 14 May 2009:
“The motivations for leaving Britain were not studied. However, high house prices and taxes and poor climate are frequently cited.”
I think also a theme that is highly politically sensitive but much spoken about amongst poms who have migrated to Australia. Is to get away from all the immigrants who have taken over the major cities and are encroaching into the white heartlands which were safe 15 years ago… I bet the motivations were not studied!!! because the politicians know already what the politically unpalletable answer will be!