Having creative and expert minds is crucial for the development of any country and the Kingdom is no different. Each year, thousands of young Saudis head abroad to study and return to contribute to the Kingdom's development. However, there is fear that some of the more talented ones may stay, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
Though the Kingdom has advanced economically in comparison to other developing countries, there is still more work left to do. Perhaps this may lead to Saudi students remaining abroad.
Khalid Al-Yahya, a lawyer and legal consultant, said there needs to be accurate statistics on the number of Saudi scientists, doctors, engineers etc who are abroad and do not return to the Kingdom.
“We need to see if this is problematic or something that is normal and nothing to worry about,” he said. Many Saudis and non-Saudis who have PhDs in key subjects often travel to Europe and the US because the environment there is conducive to developing their interests with minimum bureaucracy. “Moreover, there are many research centers that open their doors to qualified researchers of any nationality.
“They attract these individuals and even give them citizenship. That is why advanced countries are benefiting immensely from the brain drain migration,” said Al-Yahya.
He added that brain drain does not seem to be a deep problem in the Kingdom, even though there are no accurate statistics about the number of Saudis who stay abroad. “The Kingdom has an attractive economic environment. But this doesn't mean that we shouldn't study this problem. We need to encourage the establishment of research centers in different fields and remove the bureaucratic obstacles that might hinder the setting up of such centers,” he said.
He also said that it is natural for a person to leave one's country in search of better opportunities but it is unnatural to do that when one's country has a strong and attractive economic environment. The authorities should study this well and find out the reasons why some Saudis stay abroad.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, deputy dean at Al-Qassim University, said the Kingdom has seen major scientific advancements over the past years with the increasing number of universities and huge investments in human resources.
“There is no wonder that Saudi scientists and those with creative minds receive many lucrative offers from nearby and overseas countries,” he said. “Doctors, technicians, engineers, lawyers, and economic experts are in high demand anywhere around the world and they are the ones that get so many job offers from different places,” said Al-Omar, adding that the authorities should study the issue, find out the reasons why some Saudis prefer to go abroad and identify what their fields of study are.
Dr. Khalid Al-Rudaiman, a professor in botany at Al-Qassim University, said some Saudis are offered jobs abroad. “They receive lucrative offers abroad, higher than what they get in the Kingdom. Some Gulf countries facilitate the industrial, technical, and economic procedures for businesses in order to attract more investors and workers,” he said.
