Shanghai initiatives to fight brain drain

 Apparently... but what's this bit about higher salaries?  Haha I thought that was being phased out

Shanghai succeeds in curbing brain drain

Sim Ping Khuan
314 words
1 June 2006
Business Times Singapore
English
(c) 2006 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

COUNTRIES and businesses in the developing and the developed world are facing a huge scarcity of human talent, according to Audrey Tsui, president and CEO of Global Competitiveness Management Consultancy.

'The demand for talent today is much greater than its supply,' she said. Speaking at a master class session at the 11th World HR Congress, Dr Tsui defined three types of 'talent': the skilled personnel, the professionals, and the executives.

She cited China and India as examples of the 'brain drain' syndrome, a phenomenon faced by many other developing countries, where the top students do not return home after overseas education. Almost 90 per cent of Chinese graduates and 80 per cent of Indian graduates who studied in the US chose to remain there.

The study also showed that India is facing an acute problem of skilled labour migration. The number of Indians leaving the country is 30 times more than those returning, said Dr Tsui. Although migrants account for only 2 per cent of India's population, their combined annual income equals 26 per cent of India's GDP.

This worrying trend prompted China and India to introduce initiatives to curb 'brain drain'. Shanghai, according to Dr Tsui, is a successful example of a city that puts in place several measures to ensure a constant supply of talent.

She listed three strategies of Shanghai's 'talent building' programme. First, Shanghai has specific policies to attract overseas talent, such as higher wages, improved immigration policy, and better living environment. So far, a foreign talent pool of 1.3 million people are drawn to the city, including international students and executives.

Secondly, Shanghai offers incentives to persuade Chinese students who went overseas to return, by offering them greater prospects for career advancement. Shanghai is also developing a local talent pool by identifying people with 'high potential'.

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