Lithuanian “Brain Drain” Causes: Push and Pull Factors

Abstract

This article investigates Lithuanian “brain drain”causes: push and pull factors and its manifestation betweendifferent migrant groups. Traditionally internationallabour migration is interpreted as a response tothe existing gaps in wage levels between countries. Butthe causes of migration should not be simplified to economic(usually wage/income) conditions. Even if economicfactors dominate in most countries migratoryprocesses, migration flows of each country are still influencedby the specific conditions or changes in localeconomy as well as country‘s historical perspective.Therefore migration determinants might be different inseparate countries, especially when talking about highlyskilledmigration. Perception of dominating factors in theLithuania’s highly-skilled migration is needed to obtainan objective evaluation of the “brain drain” problem andto solve it in proper ways.Empirical research gives us a general picture of aLithuanian highly-skilled migrant as being a young personwith higher skills who treats his or her socioeconomicstatus at rather satisfactory level before departureand is more inspired by pull effects.Factor analysis reveals us four main factors of interrelatedvariables in Lithuania’s highly-skilled migration:professional attraction in foreign countries, socioeconomicconditions having mostly push effects, stateacademic system and collaboration manifesting itselfboth in push and pull effects, and state macroeconomicconditions and governmental policy showing mostly migrants’discontent with the general situation of Lithuania.Other factors such as ecological conditions and familyreunification play much lesser role in this phenomenonof brain drain.The article consist of two parts: first part deals withthe concept of “brain drain” and its recent tendencies, inthe second part Lithuanian brain drain causes: push andpull factors and their manifestation between different migrantgroups are investigated.