Brain drain: What is the future of Latino youth?

Emigration from Latin America is a problem that worries many countries. Especially in this unfavorable economic context as a result of the coronavirus, more and more young people seem to be thinking about a future outside of our continent, perhaps looking for opportunities in environments that they consider “less hostile”.

This can be seen, according to the El Tiempo website, in the Venezuelan migrants who began to emigrate to Colombia, which is reactivating its economy and allows some better opportunities for people. However, this also applies to other countries with different situations.

According to Infobae reports, in Argentina it also happened that, due to the pandemic and the government's economic restrictions, more and more young people seek “professional development” abroad. Let's see, then, what is the situation that makes several young Latin Americans think about their future outside of our region.

Young people and the search for opportunities abroad

The uncertainty generated by some Latin American countries has mainly caused young people to imagine a future outside the region. The website of La Nación characterizes it as the "generation that wants to migrate because it cannot imagine a future in the country," focusing mainly on the situation of Argentines.

It is in this same sense that, recently, the decision to create new restrictions on the dollar caused a “change in social mood”. Especially on social networks, several young people showed their dissatisfaction with the new limitations on the ability to save, which is why they want to develop professionally outside the white and blue territory.

In this same relationship, from the Diario Cuarto Poder they report that what they are looking for is "economic stability and less tax pressure" , which could lead to an increase in the number of Argentines living outside the country. According to the UN, Argentina has more than 1 million emigrants, representing a total of 2.27% of the population.

One of the main places they are looking to travel to is Europe. According to Border Journalism, the United Kingdom is the "attraction for students" for its programs in masters and postgraduate degrees. In addition, the attraction of a completely different lifestyle from that of our region implies a true “life change”.

Another place that attracts Argentines is Canada. According to what iProfesional's website reports, "Canada wants to take 200 Argentine technology professionals", which represents a new generation of opportunities for those who are not comfortable in those lands.

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However, what is happening so that more and more young people show their discontent with the region? The website of La República highlights that, apparently, the "only thing that can be done in America is to emigrate." This is related to the economic instability of most countries, something that supposedly would not happen in Europe.

From the BBC itself they also highlight that the coronavirus, in this case, causes the "greatest crises" to be foreseen in some specific territories of the region, such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru. On the contrary, the territories that seem to have a lower decline in finances would be Paraguay, Guatemala and Uruguay.

Argentines themselves, according to what InfoZona reports, are "looking to live in Uruguay," to cite one example. It is a region that is “across the pond” of the country, although with greater stability in macroeconomic terms. Therefore, these are particular situations that will depend on each country.

The low pay of some skilled jobs, the inability to access blank jobs, the insecurity of many regions or the usual government crises are usually the majority of the factors that affect these countries. At the moment, there is time for many young people to think about their futures outside these lands.