The Lebanese Brain Drain: A never-ending cycle of immigration and separation

Opinion analysis by Maria Wehbe, Featured Writer

June 30th, 2021

Brain Drain: according to Merriam-Webster, it is the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another, usually for better pay or living conditions. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common all across the world, and more specifically in Lebanon. Students, doctors, engineers, teachers, professors, architects, lawyers and so many more: there isn’t one field that you could think of that hasn’t been affected by this ongoing brain drain in the country. Unfortunately, the situation is not promising at all, as it keeps on deteriorating. “The economic situation is overwhelming the people, the state is bankrupt, and fear and anxiety are predominant”, said Sharaf Abou Sharaf, the head of the Order of Physicians in Lebanon. This has pushed so many Lebanese citizens to flee in the hope of finding a better life abroad. As of September of 2020, about 380 000 Lebanese are said to be considering leaving their home country as a result of the current economic and political meltdown. With that being said, one must examine the reasons that have led to this elevated number, its repercussions, and what can be done to ameliorate the situation. 

First and foremost, it is essential to go back to when the situation started to deteriorate in the first place: on October 17th, 2019. Protests erupted all over Lebanon as a result of the declining situation of the country. The Lebanese cabinet had announced new tax measures in order to address the economic crisis, and the people were not satisfied with the direction they took. Lebanese citizens were demanding accountability, an end to corruption, and the resignation of all the political representatives: they no longer wanted to remain silent. Yet, the protests were not always peaceful. Many disputes with the police took place and led to many injuries, but the people kept fighting back. However, those same individuals who protested all over Lebanon so that they could demand better opportunities in their home country were the same ones to fill out immigration forms and apply to universities abroad not too long after that.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. The country was gravely affected by the virus and is still suffering because of it today, as there have been more than 500,000 cases and 7,000 deaths. The pandemic has stripped us away from so much and has destroyed many businesses and industries in its path as well. According to the ILO, Lebanon has been in a state of emergency since mid-March 2020 and has been struggling to cope with the pandemic amidst its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. In addition, about 819,000 workers in Lebanon are employed in the six high-risk sectors, which are accommodation and food services, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, real estate and business activities, and finally, the arts and entertainment industry. Additionally, around 350,000 private sector jobs were lost between October 2019 and June 2020, 130,000 of which were lost in the first half of 2020. This led to many people applying abroad, in the hopes of finding a secure job that would not leave them in a constant state of worry and wondering if they’d wake up the next day with a job or not. “I’m leaving and I’m never coming back. Nothing is going right in this country for me to stay here”, said Youssef Nassar, a 29-year-old cinematographer who booked a one-way ticket to Canada, not willing to come back to Lebanon at all.

After that, Lebanon endured the third worst explosion ever recorded in history on August 4th, 2020. The overwhelming despair that exists in the country is prodding many people to think about leaving. The country has a highly educated, skilled, and professional population, and it is such a waste and shame to see one skilled individual leave after the other. So many of them have university degrees, second passports, and relatives who live abroad, which makes it easier for them to leave and never look back, which is what many Lebanese individuals turn to. In fact, Heiko Wimmen heads the Iraq, Syria, Lebanon project for the International Crisis Group and says that many people could use their networks of personal and professional contacts in order to help them overcome the migration obstacles that the European Union creates. Instead of encouraging people to stay in Lebanon and to fight for the country, the international community is vouching for them to leave and is telling them how to do it – we have to look at both sides of the coin though; this is bad for the country as a whole, however at the same time, people want to lend a helping hand and are trying to facilitate the process given that they are aware of the deteriorating state of the country. Though one may wonder, is this for the better or for the worse?

One cannot afford to live in Lebanon anymore, since our basic needs are not being met as a result of the rise in unemployment rates, the devaluation of the Lebanese pound vis-à-vis the dollar, the cut down of salaries by half or even more, and many other factors that have left the Lebanese citizens with no other choice but to flee the country, taking their highly needed skills along with them. This year’s inflation rate has led to market food prices rising, accounting for a 400% increase rate, according to Bloomberg’s calculations brought through the Central Administration of Statistics. More specifically, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 402.3%, the prices of clothing and footwear increased by 559.8% and the prices of restaurants and hotels rose by 609% as well. An 82% inflation rate has not been foreseen in Lebanon, and the country is facing one of the worst economic crises ever recorded in history. 

In addition, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), more than half of the Lebanese population is trapped under the poverty line – more specifically, around 55%. Extreme poverty has witnessed a 23% increase in 2020, and as of August 2020, about 2.7 million people residing in Lebanon are considered to be poor. “Establishing a national solidarity fund is crucial to tackle the country’s humanitarian crisis and close the poverty gap. Donor support is also urgently needed to bolster food and health security, and ensure wider social protection”, said ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti. And indeed, this goes hand in hand with the current unemployment rates that the country is being faced with – specifically, 34% of the youth are unemployed in Lebanon, which is giving them an even bigger reason to leave. There are not enough job opportunities, students cannot afford to pursue an education, and the quality of the education is going downhill. Soon enough, the younger generations will have nowhere to turn to other than abroad if the situation keeps deteriorating at such a fast pace.

Additionally, over 1,000 doctors have left the country as a result of the economic crisis, as well as nurses and other healthcare professionals. About 1,600 schools are at risk of closing as a result of the economic meltdown, which would affect 700,000 students, 59,000 teachers, and 15,000 school administrators – a total of 774,000 individuals, in a country of about 6.8 million inhabitants. If these individuals keep leaving one after the other, there really will be nobody left given that Lebanon is a small country with a small population as well.

With that being said, what are the effects of Brain Drain on the country in question? Well, here are a few: loss of tax revenue, a shortage of important and skilled workers, loss of potential future entrepreneurs, and loss of innovative ideas, along with many other disastrous repercussions. In the long run, it reduces human capital, economic growth, demographic shifts, and increases the cost of public goods. Even though it seems as if there aren’t any plus sides to this brain drain, one benefit to consider is when people leave and come back. They leave with the purpose of bringing back new and innovative ideas that could really make a difference in the country – however, these people represent a very small majority. Moreover, when people live abroad, they are able to send money to their families and loved ones that are residing in Lebanon. This is useful given the current state of banks in the country and citizens not being able to withdraw their money. But also, it is a way of receiving fresh dollars, which would be very helpful given the current devaluation of the Lebanese Pound vis-à-vis the dollar: it has reached an all-time high, 15 000 LBP to the dollar, and given the current prices all over the country, dollars are needed now more than ever, for whatever purpose it may be.

Thus, we must ask ourselves: what can be done? Is there a way out of this dreadful situation and if so, is it sustainable? Policy makers play a crucial role in this regard. In order to reverse brain drain, they have to be creating opportunities. We can take the case of Taiwan for example: with the help of the growing economy, the country has been able to stem the flight of its top talent. It forged business-friendly policies, ones that encouraged entrepreneurs to stay and emigrants to return. However, this does seem quite tricky in the case of Lebanon, as looking at the political corruption and all the laws that keep being broken, one may wonder if this is even feasible in our country. Yet, that is not the point: what is important to note is that solutions are there, they can be feasible if we want them to be – what we need to do is to open our eyes and see how bad the situation actually is.

If we continue down this dark path, there will be nobody left and Lebanon will turn into an aging country, lacking so much, falling behind globalization and suffering from the crises and disasters that have been prevailing for years now. One way to do so is to vote in the upcoming 2022 elections. It really is our only hope - electing representatives that are willing to fight for the Lebanese people and to do what is best for the country. Leaving is definitely not what is best, yet with the current situation, nobody can find a better alternative and solution to all of their problems in Lebanon.

Lebanon used to be seen as the Paris of the Middle East and used to be the hub for all students of the MENA region to come and study. It used to be a dream destination and people used to love to study and work here. We should all fight to get the Lebanon that we dream of back – it is in our hands, if we want it to be.