Migration of Highly Skilled Indians: Case Studies of IT and the Health Professionals. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, 2004/6

This paper describes the results of two specific primary surveys, one of IT professionals in the city of Bangalore and their role in making the city a corridor for international mobility of Indian professionals, and the second survey of health professionals (doctors and nurses) in the city of New Delhi. In these surveys, highly skilled Indians were asked about their motivations for emigrating, their experiences abroad, their reasons for coming back to India and their perception of their current situation. These surveys were carried out as a supplement to a study on estimating the stocks, flows and international mobility of human resources in science and technology (HRST) in India. The results of that work are reported in STI Working Paper 2004/7 (Khadria 2004). The findings of both case studies show that young IT professionals as well as the medical professionals want to go abroad mainly to gain professional experience, which they think will be highly valued in India when they come back. In addition, they are encouraged by higher earnings, perks and high quality of life in the host country. However, unlike the IT professionals as well as most doctors, the majority of prospective nurses want to settle down abroad permanently, because they hardly perceive their career prospects to be bright in India. Amongst the doctors, only some are prepared to settle down abroad permanently if they get a chance. The fact that none of the respondent professionals in Bangalore gave priority to the idea of settling down abroad highlights a unique aspect behind Bangalore becoming a "corridor" for migration (outward and inward) of Indian HRST, which is not the case with health professionals from New Delhi. The IT professionals in Bangalore feel that they have growing opportunities for their career growth in India in general and Bangalore in particular. This study was done by an Indian consultant for the OECD, as part of the programme of work of the OECD Centre for Co-operation with Non-members (CCNM) and the Economic Analysis and Statistics Division (EAS) of the Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI). The OECD wishes to thank the National Science Foundation (United States) for its generous support which has facilitated this work and the work on HRST in general. The following are appended: (1) Questionnaire on the Return Migration of Skilled Professionals in Bangalore; and (2) Questionnaire for the Study of Out-Migration of Health Professionals (Doctors and Nurses) from India. (Contains 5 footnotes, 21 figures, and 5 tables.)