Analysing the Economic Impact of Brain Drain and Migration in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Brain drain and migration of professionals has been a topic in Sri Lanka for decades now. But Sri Lankan government haven‘t taken proper actions to overcome from this issue so far. Migration of skilled professionals showed an increment due to the protest happened recently as it happened to be one of the reasons for the political instability. This paper aims to analyse the brain drain and migration nature in Sri Lanka and identify the key components that determine the skill migration. This study uses a combined methodology, wherein 107 in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data and a systematic review of literature over a period of 22 years (2000-2022). The results show that migration of skilled professionals has been increased up to 2022 and how social, economic, and political factors influenced migration.