brain drain

Definition

The migration of educated or talented people from less economically advanced areas to more economically advanced areas, especially to large cities or more developed nations.

Etymology

Coined by spokesmen for the Royal Society of London in the early 1950s to describe the outflow of scientists and technologists to the United States and Canada.

Example Sentences

• "Fortunately, the often-discussed problem of "the brain drain" is not as serious in agriculture as in most other fields, particularly the "hard sciences.""
• "Former HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins provided a timely reminder of why Britain needs HS2 in a letter to The Times on September 25, in which he asked: "Why are so few FTSE 100 companies based outside the South East? Why is there such a brain drain of graduates from the North? Why do northern cities underperform compared with their European counterparts?"