Abstract
The last decades has been characterized by an increasing relevance of knowledge and innovation into the economic system, becoming two crucial factors in the global competition. Therefore, qualified human capital has turn to be an essential strategic factor strongly needed by advanced and emerging economies. The paper focuses on the international competition for skilled professionals that have increased more and more during the years, bringing in the field new economic actors. In particular, the article investigates the rising importance of Brazil in the international talents’ competition, highlighting the current features of the local labour markets in the attempt to analyse the major elements of strength and weakness that characterizes the Brazilian scientific and economic system. To this end, the authors provide an analysis of the qualified migrants inflow and outflow, having the aim of a deeper comprehension of the attraction capability of Brazil.
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Notes
Machlup’s pioneering studies have opened a new research sector related to the knowledge economy, as he’s been one of the first to focus attention on the knowledge conceived as central factor of traditional economic activities. From his studies emerge, however, the perfect correspondence between knowledge and information, which then leads to an excessively broad definition of the knowledge economy. J.L. Maunoury in his work Économie du savoir (1972) expressed, though, the difference between knowledge, considered as the product of the research process and its consequent transmission and acquisition through education, and the information.
The first is based on a micro-social vision, according to which the skilled migration flows depend on rational and optimizing choices made independently by individual migrants, who move in search of places where the wage differential and quality of life, especially in terms of education and training are higher than home country. The second tends, instead, to consider the differences between countries on a macro- social level, resulting in the migration routes from develo** countries (the periphery) to the developed and industrialized countries (the centre).
In the European Union, for example human resources employed in strategic sectors such as science and technology belong more and more to the 45–64age group: it is estimated, in fact, that from 2000 to 2011 the average annual growth of this portion of the population was equal to 3.86%, compared to the growth rate of the 35–44 age group which was of 2.53%, even worse with regard to the population aged 25–34 whose average growth rate was 2.22% (Eurostat 2012).
For example, according to studies carried out in 2005, the main areas of specialization of the Chinese skilled professionals’ community were engineering (41.7%), science (23.3%) and medicine (17.5%). (Giordano and Pagano 2010). In 1997, the Indians PhD candidates achieved their degree in the following specialization: 84, 5% had a doctorate in science or engineering, of these 42.3% in engineering and 25% in natural science (Khadria 2003). In Brazil, however, the number of doctorates has risen from 3,915 in 1998 to 10.711 in 2008(Capes 2009).
The Master showed greater variability in the number of beneficiaries, although since 2009 the growth rates are increasing and seem to be promising.
In the 80s companies were authorized to send abroad the best employees for specialization courses or degree, with the obligation to return and re-employment in the same company once the study permit ended.
France represents, indeed, an important destination country of the international skilled migration, especially from the North African and European basin (Pagano 2012).
Some of Brazilian multinationals, in order to speed up and facilitate the procedures for obtaining visas, are opening up recruitment offices in foreign countries, especially in Europe, in order to employ locally the most qualified professionals.
It should also be noted that the immigration authorities couldn’t survey a good portion of the competencies and skills of migrants, depriving in this way the analysis of completeness of the information provided. The data are, however, exposed, to show the trend that is characterizing skilled migration to Brazil.
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Although this article is the result of the authors’ shared ideas, the following paragraph is attributable to Alfonso Giordano: “Skilled migrations in knowledge society: developed and emerging economies compete for talents”, while the paragraph “Human capital formation in Brazil” is attributable to Antonietta Pagano. The paragraph “The skilled migrants’ new Eldorado: Brazil hunts for brains” and the “Conclusions” can be considered the work of both authors.
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Giordano, A., Pagano, A. Brazil in the Transition Towards Knowledge Economy: Between Qualification and Internationalization of Human Capital. Transit Stud Rev 20, 19–31 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-013-0267-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-013-0267-5