The Current Wave and Determinants of Brain-Drain Migration from China

BACKGROUND: In the global competition for talent, the highly skilled and professional workers are increasingly being recognized as key drivers for innovation and economic prosperity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the wave and determinants of the brain-drain migration of skilled human capital from China. METHODS: We carried out a survey across a few rural and urban areas in China with 2,077 respondents by using a probability sampling technique. For empirical estimation, we employed the logistic regression estimation technique to compute and evaluate the data. RESULTS: The findings of this study suggest that high wages outside China and low wages within China is the top reason to move out of China. Additionally, more opportunities and better lifestyle away from China are key factors to push skilled human capital from China to host country. The findings of our study also indicate that better education abroad has a positive correlation with the brain-drain migration intention in China. CONCLUSIONS: The empirical results of the survey should be a high concern for the policy makers of China. Most survey respondents were young, well-educated and highly skilled, they identified several critical reasons that compel them to migrate from China.