Many of the English-speaking Caribbean economies are facing serious difficulties, with high indebtedness, declining demand for products and services, and low productivity and growth. Policymakers are looking for a way out of this quagmire.
In 2011, the World Bank estimated that 79 percent of tertiary-educated nationals of Trinidad and Tobago emigrate after receiving their diplomas. Likewise in Jamaica, which experiences an 85 percent rate of emigration of its highly skilled nationals, and whose burdensome economic woes would suggest that more people would be induced to emigrate.
The situation across the region is a dire one. Guyana, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda also have high emigration rates of their are highly skilled at 89 percent, 63 percent and 67 percent respectively. This represents, for these small states, a major portion of talent and skills that could drive transformation in new sectors of economic activity. For some, this represents a significant 'brain drain' or considerable loss of human capital.
For the astute policymaker, this reality should provoke important reflection about the factors promoting this emigration and perhaps what can be done to help stem this mass exodus of potential innovators and entrepreneurial talent. Also, it should be viewed as an important opportunity; on the one hand to activate and develop new systems to retain our skilled nationals and encourage them to contribute at home, as well as to catalyze our loyal citizens abroad to invest and innovate through bringing new ideas and skills that could redound to increased economic activity nationally.
Therefore, the regional situation is a complex tapestry, provoking one researcher, Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, to refer to the region as having a "migration culture". In addition, the reasons why people emigrate include seeking educational opportunities abroad, to improving career prospects by aligning their training to employment opportunities, higher wage-earning jobs or to re-unite with family or loved ones, among others.
As a result, pinpointing this or that reason is unproductive, because in any given situation there might be several factors in operation at one time. How then does the Caribbean region build a knowledge economy when most of its talent is moving to other countries? Perhaps we can learn from other countries' experiences.
In recent times, large emerging countries, China and India, as well as Asian Tigers Korea and Taiwan, have collaborated with their large pool of nationals abroad to bring important investments and skills to develop their manufacturing, semi-conductor, electronics and information technology (IT) sectors at home. Government institutions work closely with established diasporic networks and provide incentives to transfer resources and knowledge from abroad toward stimulating new business activity.
For small island states, like those in the region, a relevant comparative case is that of Mauritius, which similar to Trinidad and Tobago has a population size of approximately 1.3 million inhabitants. Unlike this country, however, the island has very limited natural resources, but has managed to diversify its economy from sugar and textiles into tourism, financial and other service sectors.
At the time of its independence, sugar contributed to 91 percent of its exports. Mauritius' diasporic community has been instrumental in establishing linkages to attract important foreign direct investment (FDI) and in brokering global partnerships. In addition, its economic restructuring over the years has resulted in retrenchment of workers in the textiles industry.
To abate this unemployment situation, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that the Mauritian government has implemented a circular migration strategy to ensure that displaced workers can seek employment opportunities abroad during its economic transition. Upon their return they have opportunities to invest and employ their new skills gained abroad by setting up small and medium enterprises.
The vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, in his recent visit to Trinidad and Tobago, at which several CARICOM leaders were present, unambiguously set out his country's policy agenda with respect to employing in some way or the other the region's diaspora. In addition, recent initiatives like the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA) launched by the U.S. State Department and the World Bank's Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation (EPIC) could serve to undermine efforts by regional governments.
In this regard, T&T and regional governments must be proactive and ensure that the diplomatic and collaborative links are in place so that the activities that these agencies are involved in benefit our countries. The vice president's comments and ongoing initiatives should not be taken lightly, as they have the potential to usurp any authority by regional governments to optimize the resources of our diaspora community.
A clearer picture of U.S. intentions must be brought to the fore, and an agenda and collaborative framework must be demanded and worked out by Caribbean governments.
In the region, Jamaica has taken the lead in this thrust. With its many developmental challenges, i.e. astronomical debt, unabated crime, low productivity, from recent policy statements, the Jamaican government has recognized the potential of engaging its significant diaspora.
The University of the West Indies Mona, in collaboration with the United Nations, has sought to develop an online database of nationals abroad. The just concluded fifth biennial diaspora conference hosted by the Jamaican government was a prime opportunity. However, it would do officials there well to understand the deeper motivations behind the desire by nationals abroad to contribute, not only in financial terms.
The challenge remains, therefore, to maintain momentum by converting dialogue and verbal commitments into action and tangible projects championed by a home institution and fuelled by ideas and initiatives proposed by Jamaican diasporans. Formulating a policy framework that enables the four million Jamaicans living abroad to act as opportunity seekers in their host countries and tapping into their networks and resources are crucial, but this must be driven by a local institution.
Regional policymakers thus need not go very far to learn from others' efforts and experiences in formulating and activating their own policy frameworks.
In the final analysis, this situation calls for an important research agenda on the size and nature of these countries' diasporas in the first instance. Also, governments should commence a series of dialogues with clear objectives and project outcomes through embassies and consulates abroad, undergirded by a holistic diaspora strategy. In this regard, the appropriate institutional mechanisms must be put in place and objectives that will stimulate meaningful outcomes.
In these difficult economic times, Caribbean countries must charge at the opportunity to put all of the region's resources, at home and abroad, to the service of development.
o Keston Perry is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine with a BA (Hons.) degree specializing in communications and international relations. He is currently a postgraduate student at Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) pursuing an MSc. in innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Published with the permission of caribbeannewsnow.com.
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