Minister of Economy, Aryeh Deri: "Israeli industry suffers from a growing shortage of professional manpower and we must invest significant thinking and resources in order to challenge Israeli academics to integrate into Israeli industry and to compete for those staying abroad in such a way that it will lead to their return to Israel"
The Program for the Repatriation of Academics, which is shared with the Ministries of the Economy, Immigration and Absorption, Finance and the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education in Israel, and is headed by the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of the Economy, presents new data examining the Israeli brain drain abroad. The comprehensive survey, conducted in collaboration with the CBS, was conducted on the population of academics who have been abroad for three years or more, with the understanding that this is, in general, the period of the first stay for a postdoctorate, internship, relocation, etc. Admittedly, in 2014 about 21,400 Israeli academics who stayed abroad for more than 3 years were registered, of which about 2,100 were doctorate holders, but there is a bright spot - the number of Israelis staying abroad did not increase between 2012-2014.
In recent years, after the cottage, milky and housing protests, the trend of the departure of academic minds from Israel to abroad has increased. To this end, the Israeli government decided in 2010 to establish a dedicated program to deal with the issue - the National Program for the Repatriation of Academics - which was launched in June 2013. As part of the program, under the leadership of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy, Avi Hasson, significant governmental efforts were made to curb the phenomenon and bring back those Israelis who possess human capital high and relevant who are abroad.
According to the CBS data, in the second comprehensive survey it conducted (the first was done in 2013), it was indeed found that the brain drain of Israelis abroad has been curbed. Admittedly, if you look at the group of academics who received an academic degree in Israel between the years 1985-2007, the number of long-term stays abroad increased by about 19% between the years 2010-2012 (remember, the social protest in Israel reached its peak in the summer of 2011. However, the number did not increase between the years 2012-2014.
At the same time, a relatively high percentage, between 8-10%, of bachelor's degree holders and 10-14% of master's degree holders in the fields of exact sciences (physical sciences, computer sciences, mathematics and statistics) has been abroad for an extended period. This percentage is even increasing Among those with a PhD in computer science, statistics and mathematics who are abroad for an extended period (about 20%).
The survey also shows that the percentage of those staying abroad, from each yearbook, has been decreasing significantly since 1996 (slide 14), when, starting with the graduates of the 2003 yearbook, there is a significant and continuous decrease in the number of those staying abroad for a long period. At the same time, the number of holders of doctoral degrees in life sciences staying abroad increased significantly starting in 1998 and began to show signs of decline only in the 2005-2008 data. However, the numbers were and still are relatively high compared to all other third degrees (slide 15). The total number of Israeli academics who stayed abroad for more than 3 years in 2014 was about 21,400, of which about 2,100 were doctorate holders.
The Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy, Avi Hasson, who heads the program, noted that: "In a global world, moving abroad is an important step in career development and scientific and technological professionalization. At the same time, we strive to bring the brains back to Israel and thereby benefit from the knowledge and experience gained abroad. The national program for the repatriation of academics already has over 4400 academics who are abroad registered and its partners are over 180 employers who are interested in their absorption and is the academy's contact center that handles the absorption of scientists in institutions of higher education.
The program offers a package of care and information about the process of returning to Israel, helps in finding a suitable job, solves problems and barriers in the face of the bureaucratic processes, and more. In this framework, a fast and online route was launched with the National Insurance Institute for the benefit of the returnees under the program. In addition, webinar workshops were developed to assist in dealing with the difficulties of absorption for family members and in preparation for returning to the labor market.
The academics who wish to return to Israel as part of the program also receive help with flight tickets to Israel for job interviews, and a new and informative website has been established for them that offers a question and answer forum, information on programs and scholarships and daily life in Israel. In addition to this, the program holds meetings with the academics abroad, keeps in touch with them through monthly mailings, maintains a focused and up-to-date job schedule, and formulates dedicated solutions for them to facilitate their reintegration into the circle of doing and living in Israel. So far, over 250 academics have returned to Israel through the program.
Minister of Economy, Aryeh Deri: "Israeli industry suffers from a growing shortage of professional manpower and we must invest significant thinking and resources in order to challenge Israeli academics to integrate into Israeli industry and to compete for those staying abroad in such a way that it will lead to their return to Israel"
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Make a mistake, return to a country in collapse. It is better that they stay abroad in a country where budgets are allocated for their research and development.
Is Deri worried about the return to Israel of Shabbat violators? Why? In order to have money to distribute to the children? Let them start requiring core studies according to the compulsory education law! And I agree with Yossi - the corruption, capital-government relations and the rule of the tycoons in the economy smuggle out of the country those who can escape - and of course the academics have more ability to escape.
A positive idea but it should be accompanied by the ease of existence in Israel. In Norway, a citizen's welfare fund is established from the oil money in the North Sea, in Germany the highest tax is 28% and that's it. Economic life in Israel should be made easier.