Expatriate engineers or brain drain?

Expatriate engineers or brain drain?

When people talk about Spanish engineers who work outside Spain, one of first thoughts is that we are exporting the talent that is formed in the country and losing the investment made in our education system. And certainly, many professionals have found an opportunity to work abroad, but others work for national companies in international projects outside our borders.

The big difference between migrating and being expatriated

To understand better this specific point we should know clearly the two different types of Spanish engineers that work abroad. First of all, there are expatriates who are professionals who work for companies, usually Spanish companies, for a certain time. Secondly, there are engineers who go abroad in search of job opportunities or to seek better conditions or improve their professional experience.

For this fact, the country implication is different in both parts. If we talk about the expatriation of Spanish engineers we can see the high confidence that our professionals generate internationally due to their technical knowledge although theirs costs are higher than national engineers.

The projects that demand more expatriates

Nowadays, engineering that most require expatriation are those related to EPC world, which are companies that are responsible of building works and facilities under the modality of „turnkey“.

EPC (Engineering, Purchase and Construction) are the largest projects companies today. In this way, sectors that usually require the largest number of expatriates are energy, oil, industry, infrastructure and civil construction.

At present, Spain and European countries has many potent infrastructures that underdeveloped countries do not have, and they are starting to develop this type of projects. The most frequent expatriate’s destination countries are South America, the Middle East and the countries of Northeast Asia.

Round-trip ticket

On the other hand, there are many emigrates people who go out abroad searching better options. For example, there are many renewable energy engineers who found projects in their area, in northern Europe and especially in Germany.

Thereby, our country conditions have generated this migratory tendency, so we must learn about it and take measures so that professionals who went out buy a return ticket in the future.

Spain is a country that creates a very strong bond and roots. Currently, Engineers who are working outside of Spain are acquiring professional experience that helps them to develop highly valued skills in the field of engineering.

It is a matter of the country generating the beneficial employment conditions so that, the talent that is abroad, can bring back home all knowledges that will contribute to improving the sector productivity.