Glaswegians head up the brain drain

Oct 23 2008 By Frank Hurley

GLASGOW has the highest number of people in Scotland joining the brain drain abroad, says a team of emigration specialists.

The surprising numbers of Glaswegians who want to go abroad comes despite tourist experts Lonely Planet putting Glasgow among the top 10 places in the world to visit.

And with unemployment in Scotland rising all the time more enquiries to leave are expected in the search for work.

An analysis of emigration enquiries by leading specialist - the Emigration Group - has revealed that Glasgow is their top location for emigration in Scotland.

The group says that in the last nine months Glasgow has become an emigration hotspot representing nearly two per cent of all enquiries in the UK.

Paul Arthur, group director, said: "Our company has experienced a huge volume of enquiries from Glasgow this year - 150 enquires in the last nine months which compared to our average enquiry rate of 78 is very high.

"Demand has been so strong that we are holding a seminar, at the Holiday Inn, East Kilbride on Tuesday evening, November 11, offering advice on successful emigration to Australia and New Zealand.

"Emigration is now soaring throughout the UK with over 250,000 Brits leaving last year, 684 a day or one every two minutes. Australia and New Zealand are the most popular choices with emigration to New Zealand up 50 per cent in the last three years and emigration to Australia tripling in the last five years.

"What Scotland and the rest of the UK are seeing, is essentially a brain drain.

"Our doctors, scientists, teachers and skilled trade's people are leaving to fill the huge skills shortages overseas.

"The United Kingdom is now losing more than one in 10 of its skilled workers."

He said one reason fuelling emigration in Scotland, is the buoyant property market in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, despite the housing and economic downturn.

Other contributory factors for those UK residents wishing to leave include unhappiness over current levels of immigration, crime and tax acting as major motivators.