Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Elisa Ferreira: "Addressing brain drain: retaining and attracting talents in EU regions"

The policy dialogue with Commissioner Elisa Ferreira brought together young participants to exchange ideas, drawing from their diverse backgrounds and regions of origin. The dialogue was an occasion to discuss directly with the Commissioner and encouraged the active participation of all participants to gather their considerations and suggestions on brain drain and how to retain and attract talents.

Did you miss the live discussion? Don't worry, you can watch the recorded version by accessing the European Commission live stream page.
 

Take aways from the Dialogue

Factors that could influence the decision of young graduates or professionals decision to stay live and work in their regions of origin:

1. The availability of job opportunities with attractive conditions.  The availability of good jobs is one of the main factors behind the decision to stay in the region of origin. Yet, job conditions are also important. Wages are often too low for young professionals and not enough to enable decent living conditions. Wage attractiveness is particularly important for some high-skill jobs in sectors with higher competition for talents and hence higher risk of brain drain (health and IT for instance). In addition to salaries, other working conditions matter: access to social protection and safety nets, type of contracts (permanent/temporary), career prospects, and an inclusive work environment.
2. The quality of life in regions. Economic factors are not the only ones taken into account. Overall, good life standards are considered, such as affordability and quality of housing, access and quality of services including healthcare, childcare, services for culture, sport, and a quality of the environment. Providing this full range of services may be challenging for many regions, in particular in rural areas, hence requiring investments to increase the regional attractiveness.
3. The importance of good public governance. Lack of trust in public institutions, lack of transparency and corruption are strong deterrents to the attractiveness of regions and Member States. The representation of young people and organisations in the public debate, partnership mechanisms and political life is also important. Young people need to feel as integral part of the society (ownership), through effective democratic and participation mechanisms.