WES Contributes to United Nations Discussion on Migrants and “Brain Waste”
WES Global Talent Bridge’s Denise Jillions contributed comments on the issue of brain waste at a United Nations meeting held in July in preparation for the UN Global Compact on Migration. The Compact will be presented for adoption at the UN’s 2018 General Assembly.
In her statement Jillions notes: “The number of college-educated migrants on the move has increased dramatically in the last decade. According to the Migration Policy Institute, almost half (48 percent) of immigrant adults who entered the United States between 2011 and 2015 were college graduates ‑ a sharp rise from the 33 percent among those who arrived before the 2007-09 recession and 27 percent who arrived before 1990.
“Yet, the high degree of unemployment and underemployment among this population indicates that their training and experience are not being recognized by employers, despite the need for precisely those skills in the labor market. Instead of utilizing the migrant talent available in their own backyards, employers go to great lengths to attract talent from overseas.”
She continues by citing several examples where, through the political will and modest investments of national and regional bodies, migrants have achieved positive outcomes.
Read WES’s full statement on the issue here.
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