Study shows Greece not ready for brain gain
Greece is neither in the position to develop nor to attract talented professionals, according to the findings of the Hellenic Authority for Quality in Higher Education’s (ADIP) annual report for 2019.
The report paints the current picture of higher education in Greece, highlighting its distortions and disadvantages.
In particular, it states that an estimated 450,000 Greek professionals went abroad during the recent economic crisis, seeking greener pastures and leaving behind high unemployment rates, wage cuts and reduced social benefits.
Their relocation cost the Greek economy more than 15 billion euros.
The study notes that the aim to transform Greece’s brain drain of the last decade can be transformed into a brain gain is being hampered by a policy deficit.
Citing the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) for 2020 – the global benchmark for issues related to talent competitiveness and the future of work – it said Greece is ranked 81st internationally in attracting talented people, 30th in terms of retaining them and 60th in talent development out of a total of 132 countries.
Also, according to Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey, Greece appears to significantly lag the European average in terms of creating high-quality jobs with good financial gains and prospects.
In fact, Greece ranks among the worst-performing countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in the employment of higher education graduates aged 25-64 (74%).
