Cross-border Movements of Talents and Challenges of New Crises

Abstract

The article is devoted to main factors, trends and challenges of cross-­border movements of professionals in the first two decades of the 21st century, including the time of the COVID‑19 pandemic outbreak. These issues are dealt with within the framework of intercountry and intertemporal comparisons based on the analysis of big data array. Most of this period is marked by a dynamic increase in the number of highly educated migrants in the countries of the global North — which was more intensive and sustainable than of other social groups. This process was due to a high demand of the developed countries' economies for talents and active stimulation of their inflow from abroad, spread of circulation, including non-migration forms of mobility, of highly educated workers, etc. At the same time, such factors as the economic development of donor countries, their measures to limit the emigration of talents, spread of “digital migration”, deglobalization processes, etc. worked to slow down the dynamics of this process. Foreign-born talents usually make a significant contribution to the economic development of host countries, which is contrasted with losses of sending countries caused by the hypermobility of Millennials and excessive levels of intellectual emigration from a number of countries in the South. At the same time, mobility is a multidimensional process that embraces migration interdependence of the States involved in it, relationship between flows of migrants, finance and technology, participation of many countries, including Russia, in these movements both as donors and recipients, difference of effects of the flows of different categories of specialists, etc. Accordingly, balancing the advantages and risks of movements of such workers and negotiating the interests of the participating countries are of importance. The movement of talents, like other human flows, has declined sharply as a result of restrictions imposed to counter the spread of the pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown. However, the mobility of specialists, especially health workers, was much less affected by these processes. The prospects for restoring the movement of professionals are seen in conjunction with updating its format and restructuring its governance system.

Acknowledgements

The research was carried out through the financial support of the Russian Foundation of fundamental research, Project № 17–29–02244 (Position and role of population intellect within the system of factors of national development).