UK: Wales hit by graduate brain drain

Wales is experiencing an alarming brain drain, with more than half of its graduates leaving to work elsewhere, a new report has revealed. According to the Western Mail, Wales retains fewer of its first degree graduates than any other UK nation, posing huge problems for employers in areas including maths and marketing.

The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency – based on a “where are they now” survey of those who graduated in 2003 – found that by 2006 only 48% of graduates from universities in Wales were working in Wales. This compared to: 98% of graduates from universities in England staying to work in England; 88% of graduates in Northern Ireland; and 75% in Scotland.

Business leaders and recruitment agencies said Wales should do more to keep its graduates, whether or not they were originally from Wales. Firms are already experiencing difficulties in recruiting graduates in some subjects and higher education was not keeping pace with business changes, one recruitment agency director warned.
Full report on icWales.co.uk