They are familiar refrains in California: “The state is losing its best and brightest to other states, where the cost of living is cheaper and jobs are more plentiful.” “foreign-born students get an excellent education here and then take the knowledge elsewhere and start innovative companies.” “The state’s brain drain is sure to sink its position as a national leader in technology.”
But the idea that high-skilled workers are leaving en masse is generally fiction. According to the report, "What Brain Drain? California Among the Best in U.S. at Retaining Skilled Workers".
"Because the major disadvantage of out-migration for any state is the loss of skilled young workers, we were pleased to see that the numbers tell a story quite different from what people seem to believe about the flow of labor and California," said Ross DeVol, the Milken Institute's chief research officer.
2011.10.12 - comments
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