REVERSE BRAIN DRAIN IN POLAND
9 September 1996
International Migration Bulletin - No. 8
"The rapid increase in legal immigration is a notable characteristic of the period
of transition to a democratic society and market economy in Poland" according to a
feature in the International Migration Bulletin of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) in its most recent issue. Among the immigrants
were a large proportion of well educated and experienced professionals. Close to 70
per cent of the immigrants (over 15 years of age) had completed secondary or post-secondary education. They came predominantly from Germany, the United States
and Canada. About half of them appear to be Polish citizens that emigrated illegally
to the West, mostly during the 1980s.
Despite the fact that total emigration exceeds immigration several times over,
the immigration of educated people is higher than that of educated emigrants. Polish
experts have called this the "inverse brain drain". Also, it appears that the propensity
for educated people to emigrate is declining, as possibilities for employment in the
country increase. In addition, about 10,000 foreigners have been granted work
permits; such permits were almost unheard of before 1990. While these numbers
are relatively small, their significance is undeniable for the development of
entrepreneurship; improvement in the management and organization of economic
processes; the revival of certain skills, such as banking and insurance; the
emergence of professional specialities, e.g. investment consulting and marketing; and
the development of recently neglected areas, such as catering, the hotel industry and
trade.
There are also significant numbers of foreigners coming to Poland. Apart from
those entering legally and those with a work permit mentioned above, who are small
in numbers, there are those operating independently, in particular petty traders, and
those making their way through Poland to the West, whose numbers are impressive.
Petty traders come to Poland as tourists. The majority of the 42.6 million German
"tourists" were on routine domestic shopping trips, however, it is estimated that 85
per cent of the "tourists" from the former Soviet Union brought in goods in
commercial quantities. In addition the annual flow of Asians and North Africans
attempting to reach the West, via Poland, is estimated at 100,000.
Slowing down of immigration into the Russian Federation
Based on the most recent data available the International Migration Bulletin of
the UN/ECE observes that while the influx of immigrants into the Russian Federation
continues to be quite considerable, it does appear to be slowing down. During the
second half of 1995 almost 390,000 people were registered as immigrants in the
Russian Federation. This number was, however, much smaller than that for the same
period in 1994, which was around 650,000.
In the three year period, 1993-1995 there were approximately three million
registered immigrants to the Russian Federation. The net addition to the Russian
population was 1.75 million during these three years. The largest part of this
addition, over 60 per cent, originated in central Asia and Kazakstan, whilst almost 20
per cent came from the Transcaucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
(See table)
Other topics dealt with in the International Migration Bulletin, no. 8:
Refugees and displaced persons due to armed conflicts
Asylum seekers
Regular migration
The Netherlands: international migration
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The International Migration Bulletin is published twice a year by the Population
Activities Unit (PAU) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UN/ECE).