Migration generally, whether permanent or temporary, can often help alleviate problems in countries where the economy is under pressure. Poverty can be mitigated and the indirect impact on services such as health, might also benefit. However what these countries can also lose is a knowledge base of skilled and educated workers, and families on a social and personal level can also suffer particularly where children are left behind if the migration is temporary.
Where highly skilled workers move away, and particularly when the move is permanent, this might have a downward spiral effect. For instance, in cases where there is not enough work to support research, more researchers may leave the country than is desired and this can force further closures.
The public sector can suffer in a similar way, particularly when job cuts are made at managerial level and this forces a push factor away from the native country toward one with more opportunities. Again, the end result is that more job cuts are necessary because of the downward spiral.
These are just two examples of how migration of skilled workers can negatively impact the country of origin not just in the current climate but also into the future because the source of progression has been pushed away by economic necessity and pulled toward countries where opportunities are greater.
KThompson
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