India’s IT Prodigals Return Home

"Brain gain" is booming in India as highly-skilled expatriates are returning home. A recent mini-migration of some 25,000 engineers, software designers, managers, and other professionals has taken place between the United States and India in the past four years. The numbers are still growing. The decision to uproot after decade or more of life in the US is motivated by a new land of opportunity, outside the West. Whereas the US technology industry seems stagnant and cumbersome, the Indian business climate is hot, an up-and-coming, if not already recognized, global economic force. For Indians in the US and around the world, the prospect of returning to their roots, raising children close to their cultural background, living comfortably, and personally investing in their homeland sweetens the deal. The prodigal workers have gravitated toward jobs in the IT sector, but other fields are experiencing brain gain as well. This movement may prove significant to global labor dynamics in the future. – YaleGlobal