Roundup: Brain drain worries in Croatia

News that dozens of aircraft mechanics have left the country has spread in Croatian media recently and caused concern about a new wave of brain drain following doctors' emigration.

It was early to say that the emigration trend was alarming and catastrophic, but it was certainly significant, Drago Zuparic-Iljic from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic studies here said in an interview with Xinhua recently.

Around 70 employees have left the country in the last five years, according to local media.

The salaries could be four times higher working abroad than in Croatia, Croatian Trade Union of Aircraft Mechanics said, and adding that salaries were not the only reason for their leaving.

They didn't see any prospects here, it added.

The Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) has the same opinion and they believed salary was not the whole story for doctors' and nurses' emigrations.

Poor working conditions and lower status in society, no career promotion, also influenced their choices to leave, HLK said.

"The situation in some hospitals is very disturbing and some departments of hospitals are closed down due to lack of doctors," an HLK spokeswoman said, adding they wanted to have a better life and better professional development in another country.

Some 550 doctors have left the country, while 1,215 have requested EU certification to work abroad since 2013, according to HLK data.

A latest survey showed nearly 80 percent of doctors believed that their professional development would have no chance in Croatia.

However, Zuparic-Iljic was also concerned about the emigration of young people and their families.

"This is a major social, economic and demographic loss for Croatia," he said.

Ivana Koli, a 27-year-old psychologist, left her hometown Zadar, the southern coast city of Croatia, to settle in Ireland in 2013 with a satisfied job.

"In Ireland, my ideas are respected, the efforts are rewarded. Yes, I'm well paid," she said.

Koli is lucky. But for half of young immigrants, they have no idea where they are going and what they will do when they leave the country, only believing there should be more opportunity in Germany and other countries.

Croatia was one of the top four countries from which citizens moved to Germany in 2015, just behind Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, according to the the Federal Migration and Refugee Service.

Analysts here called on the government to take measures to stop young people from leaving the country.

The government should take responsibility for presenting prospects to youth and adopt active employment policy to keep graduates in the country, Marko Lepoglavec, student council vice president at the University of Zagreb said.

The government is aware of the problem. New Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said when he stepped into power that his government would prioritize job creation and a good standard of life for citizens.

"We will try to end the negative trend," he said, adding the government was taking measures to transform the brain drain and encourage brilliant young people to return to Croatia. Endit