The publication of a picture of the migration of 13 Sharif university students at the airport caused a sensation. This incident served as an excuse to review the human capital migration crisis from the country and to present a picture of migration statistics.
The Escalating Crisis of Brain Drain from Iran
According to IDEA, the story of the increasing desire for human resources to migrate resurfaced last week with the release of a picture of 13 Sharif University graduates at the airport, causing considerable controversy. As a result, it became clear that only three of the individuals in the picture had migrated. Sharif Newspaper reported that others in the group had gone to the airport to see off these three individuals.
In response to the publication of this photo, criticism arose regarding the argument that the migration wave does not require statistical data and that it is sufficient to pay attention to official and unofficial statistics and statements from startup ecosystem actors. On the other hand, IT and communication technology industry activists and managers always refer to human resources as the biggest challenge and asset of businesses and believe that various financial incentives can help retain human resources in the country. However, the published statistics on the increase in the migration of Iranians and their inclination towards it in the past couple of years indicate that even salary increases have not been able to prevent individuals from leaving the country.
67% of Skilled Workforce in Knowledge-Based Companies Are in the Immigration Queue
The Iran Migration Observatory, one of the reliable institutions for publishing statistics related to Iranian migration, has recently released data indicating that 67% of key and skilled personnel in knowledge-based companies have entered the process of emigration. On the other hand, the survey results from this institution show that only 16% of participants have no inclination towards emigration and wish to live in Iran.
In addition, approximately 20% of the survey respondents have emigrated from Iran, among whom only 4% stated that they intend to return to Iran.
Furthermore, Bahram Salavati, the director of the Iran Migration Observatory, faced significant reactions to the point where he was deprived of conducting interviews, and even an eviction order was issued for the observatory building.
This statistic has shown remarkable growth compared to the past two years, as only slightly more than 30% of Iranians were willing to emigrate from Iran two years ago. Based on these data, from 2016 to 2021, the inclination for emigration among Iranians had increased by only 3%, but after two years, this figure now reflects double the growth.
Keyvan Jamebozorg, the Deputy for Business Development at FANAP, also presents another striking statistic of Iranian migration. According to him, in the past year and a half, we had as much workforce outflow from FANAP as in the past 15 years, and over 80% of them have emigrated. This means that 80% of the population that left us had emigration as the reason for leaving their jobs.
The Statistics Speak Volumes About the Ongoing Crisis of Brain Drain from Iran
Statistics clearly indicate the crisis of skilled and elite human resources leaving the country. Experts and digital economy activists cite various reasons for demotivating the workforce, but economic, social, and cultural issues are common among them.
Mahsa Razaghi, the HR manager of Ramzinex, also mentioned that leaving Iranian companies’ employees can be related to factors such as personal goals, career path changes, or economic, social, and organizational changes in the country and job opportunities abroad. She believes that the main reason for leaving the organization can be attributed to the lack of salary and financial incentives that are in line with the cost of living.
Furthermore, the absence of job development opportunities, proper training, and skill enhancement for employees is seen as factors driving migration and seeking better opportunities elsewhere. She also points out that negative organizational culture, organizational conflicts, inefficient management, and a lack of healthy relationships with managers have an impact on employees’ inclination to leave the organization.
In the event, the Factory of Media Innovation proposed solutions due to the importance of human resources in organizations and businesses. HR managers from startups such as Snapp, Digikala, Tizland, and companies like Fanap and Avaran Cloud shared their suggestions and experiences regarding human resources.
Mohammad Khalaj, the CEO of Snapp, discussed the crisis of human resource migration from the perspective of HR collaboration with foreign companies. He stated that today we are practically facing a dilemma where the competition of Iranian companies has gone beyond the domestic ecosystem, and we are dealing with the concept of the gig economy, in which physical migration is no longer necessary, and individuals live within the country but create added value for foreign companies.
Additionally, Keyvan Jamebozorg, the Deputy for Business Development at Fanap, regards the competition with foreign companies in terms of wages and salaries for human resources as an unequal battle. According to him, in the past year and a half, we had as much workforce outflow from Fanap as in the past 15 years, and over 80% of them have emigrated.
Previously, Seyed Mohammad Moghimi, the President of the University of Tehran, stated that Iran is at the forefront of countries where its students travel to first-world countries. He explained the reason for this as follows: Our human resources are nurtured at a global standard, and our universities take acceptable measures in line with global standards. According to him, the main reason for the migration of elites is the lack of job opportunities.
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