Unit 2 Macro: Portugal’s Brain Drain

With a deep recession and persistently high rates of unemployment among younger people. fears are growing about a brain drain in Portugal as highly qualified university graduates leave the country in search of a better life. Peter Wise, Financial Times Lisbon correspondent, reports on what the trend means for the troubled Portuguese economy. Losing "the best of a generation" poses important long-term threats to the competitiveness of the Portuguese economy. Some are moving to Angola and Brazil, the UK has also attracted skilled workers in health care, banking and IT.

Key indicators for Portugal

• Population (millions) 10.6
• GDP (US$ billions) 212.7
• GDP per capita (US$) 20,179

Labour market Competitiveness (ranking out of 148 countries - a high score indicates poor competitiveness)

• Cooperation in labor-employer relations - 97
• Flexibility of wage determination - 105
• Hiring and firing practices - 124
• Redundancy costs, weeks of salary - 134
• Effect of taxation on incentives to work - 139
• Pay and productivity - 121
• Country capacity to retain talent - 111
• Country capacity to attract talent - 88
• Women in labor force, ratio to men - 32

Source: World Economic Forum (2012)

See also: Guardian: The great escape: European migrants fleeing the recession