Brain drain and talent capture in Malaysia

As a component of migratory flow, the so-called ‘brain drain’ has garnered disproportionate attention. Analytical discourse on the subject was initially negative but has given way to recognition of both costs and benefits. Malaysia is an excellent case study where alarm has been sounded by both government and its critics. The country’s rising outflows of talent have been blamed on such push factors as ethnic-based discriminatory policies and a deteriorating education system. Yet a balanced narrative needs to be understood from two perspectives. The first is context, a set of factors specific to Malaysia that is conducive to or obstructs brain drain. These factors include Malaysia’s historically open economy, a reliance on low-cost labour, a tradition of international education and the proximity of high-income Singapore that is a major pull factor which entails a low social cost of migration. The other is indeed government policy that combines antagonism towards out-migrants mostly of immigrant descent that contribute towards a failure to recognize network prospects with ethnic affirmative action policies that are often ratcheted up through jingoistic rhetoric. This stance exists alongside new policies offering incentives for returnees.