Since the dawn of civilization, humans
as creature have traveled to distant lands in search first for survival and
then for a better life. Homo sapiens migrated from Africa to India about
seventy thousand years ago and to America from
Asia about twelve thousand years ago through land bridges connecting Alaska with Asia. The driver for human
migration was search for food, water and escape from the threat of hostile
weather including volcanic eruptions and hot harsh desert climates. Languages
developed some fifty thousand years ago.
In 1775 Asia was the richest
continent with 80% of global economy (China and India accounted for 67% of
trade and production) by 1950 post World War II, Europe and the USA took share
of 50% and today the USA alone has 45% global wealth with about 16% of
population. In recent times USA, Europe
and Australia have
become the target for global migration. The pursuits of
job/career and wealth opportunities will continue to be a motivation for
global migration. At home, lack of jobs (estimated 50% unemployment) and poor
wages accounts for about 2500 Nepalis leaving home every day mostly to Gulf and
other countries as unskilled labors. The younger female leaving for Japan and Korea is
a recent trend. Nepal’s migration
to India and
other countries is as old as British rule in India which
is about two centuries old.
“Over the past ten
years, immigrants represented 47% of the increase in the workforce in the United States,
and 70% in Europe (OECD, 2012).
Since 2000/01, immigrants have represented 31% of the increase in the highly
educated labor force in Canada,
21%in the United States and
14% in Europe.” United States reports:
skilled immigrants contribute to “boosting research and innovation, as well as
technological progress.” (Hunt, 2010) “In the past decade (skilled worker
migration is up by about 70%), reaching almost 30 million in 2010/11. Of these,
about 5 million, or 17%, arrived only past five years ago.” This trend is
mostly driven by Asian migration – more than 2 million educated migrants
originating from this region arrived in North America and Europe in the past five
years (OECD-UNDESA, 2013).”
One of the challenges Nepal faces
is how to turn this exodus of migration to educated, skilled and computer efficient
manpower to infuse them into well rewarded knowledge driven global workforce:
a challenge Nepal must
embark upon! How will that be done? The policy makers and politicians MUST
seriously contemplate and focus on quality of skill-based education in science,
technology, medicine, and health care, computer skilled manpower including
mechanics, electricians and health workers. India’s
Indian Institute of Technology and All India Institute of Medical Sciences are
good examples.
Nehru’s efforts and dream is finally paying
off as India now
is the fifth largest economy in the globe and highest recipient of remittance
income with 112 billion and China being
second with about one half of that. Nepal’s
recent remittance 9 B is 22% of GDP, it could be much bigger if planned.
“As per the UN’s
International Organization for Migration, 281 million people, or 3.6% of the
world’s population, made up the international migrant population in 2020.”
Immigration over the past few decades continues to rise from developing nations
to advanced countries for highly educated immigrants in science, technology and
also in business fields.
Nepal needs to supply
such knowledge driven boundary breakers to domestic and global destinations and
help change the state of domestic infrastructure to the current level of
current levels just as China is
so rapidly doing.
The benefits of
immigration extend well beyond the individual’s self-benefits (education,
income, skill gains and welfare of the next generation) and promotes mutual
benefits both for the country of origin and the new destinations. Skilled
migrants act as a link for variety of international exchanges, technology
transfers, improve quality in education, trade, investments, finance and
knowledge-based entrepreneurship.
One such remarkable experience the
author has personally witnessed is, where a successful Taiwanese
immigrant to the USA, Morris Chang (Stanford Ph.D.) after having extensive
experience in America rose to the level of Executive Vice President at Texas Instruments
(The very first technology company that hired me in the USA). Not being awarded
the coveted President’s position he chose to return to his home country and
started Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) in 1987. Today after three decades TSMC’s
sales at 75B USD it is 20% higher that the world’s most prestigious micro-chip
manufacturer Intel with quality equally good is a remarkable achievement. Just
one such company in Nepal will
simply more than double Nepal 36 B USD budget and one such venture can
transform a nation. Right here in Nepal there
are numerous examples where the returnees have opened largest medical
facilities, hotel chains, resorts, restaurants, travel agencies, global cyber
Security Company, pharmaceutical, drinking water venture etc. I have met
Nepalis who work for NASA without leaving home and Japanese automobile company
in Nepal remotely.
Numerous Nepalis with computer skills are running small businesses where their
subcontract programming and graphic design work while living at home. Amazingly
it is ALL possible! All it takes one man’s VISION, Dream and LEADERSHIP that
can transform a nation and even the world. My own mantra after I returned back
home has been. “Dream BIG” as your novel IDEA may possibly change YOU and your
nation for ever. It is well known that Britain’s
Prime Minister is a third-generation Indian immigrant, Kamala Harris the
American Vice President is a first-generation American daughter of Indian
immigrant in their adopted country and returnees are investing in technology
companies.
India is an example!
With India’s 112 B,
contributing over 20% of India’s total foreign exchange reserves, including
several computer software companies’ startups it is recognized as a
global developer in computer software fields. The remittance and return of
resources significantly influence GDP support diversification in
income and savings and investments.
Brain gain, or having
access to technical data from the country’s immigrant returnees, is another
remarkable advantage of immigration. Immigrants channel a great deal of
expertise back home because they are adept at communicating knowledge in their
area of expertise.
India’s IT revolution
typically gives an insight into the brain gain narrative because as following
the collapse of the dot-com global bubble, large number of IT
professionals from India were compelled to return home and, ignited
numerous startups with innovative businesses, farming methods, and economic
enterprises.
Immigration also helps
economy by curbing domestic unemployment, boosting earnings reducing pressure
on natural resources, and increasing productivity and additional financial accesses.
The immigrants are
launching new companies at twice the rate of native-born Americans and creating
large numbers of jobs in the USA.
In fact, immigrants help grow the economy by filling labor needs, purchasing
goods and paying taxes as reported. When more people work, productivity
increases.
“Immigrants are
innovators, job creators, and consumers with an enormous spending power that
drives US economy,
and creates employment opportunities for all Americans. Immigrants added $2 trillion to the
U.S. GDP in 2016 and $458.7 billion to
state, local, and federal taxes in 2018. The immigrants spent billions of
dollars on state and local, and federal taxes, they were left with $1.2 trillion in
spending power, which they used to purchase goods and services, stimulating
local business activity,” (2018 Report from the USA)
It’s about time we
dream BIG for Nepal so
it does NOT remain a poorest nation in this continent. All it takes is:
visionary, committed and futuristic LEADERSHIP!
(Arun Sharma is a technology engineer and writer with
seven published books.)
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