The migrants are not a cross-section of society but rather a highly concentrated group of young, skilled, and educated citizens. More than half hold university degrees, compared to just 7 percent of Bhutan’s overall working-age population. Strikingly, nearly half were formerly employed in the civil service, with teachers and health workers especially prominent among them. In 2024, almost 70 percent of voluntary resignations in the public sector came from these two fields, raising fears of a brain drain that could weaken core social services. Migrants are typically slightly older and better educated than aspiring migrants still at home, who tend to be younger, male, unmarried, and more likely to be unemployed or underemployed. Their departure signals not only the lure of opportunities abroad but also the frustrations and limitations of Bhutan’s domestic labor market.
Australia’s Magnetic Pull
Economics, however, is the decisive factor. Income differences between Bhutan and Australia are staggering. Whereas most migrants earned less than Nu 40,000 a month before leaving, in Australia, many now surpass Nu 200,000. Women also benefit from narrower gender pay gaps compared to Bhutan. Yet the report notes an uncomfortable paradox: while migrants leave skilled positions at home, six in ten find themselves in low-skilled roles such as caregiving and cleaning abroad. This occupational downgrading, though often a temporary stepping stone while pursuing degrees, raises questions about the long-term benefits to Bhutan of losing skilled professionals to jobs that do not fully utilize their expertise.
The Uncertain Road Ahead
The key question haunting policymakers is whether migrants will ever return. While 64 percent of migrants and nearly 80 percent of aspiring migrants say they would consider coming back if conditions improved, the wage thresholds they expect, so-called reservation wages, are far higher than Bhutan can realistically provide. Many want at least triple their current Bhutanese incomes, while a quarter of those abroad insist they would only return if salaries matched Australian levels. Nonetheless, ties to home remain strong. Most migrants leave families behind and regularly send remittances, which have become a vital lifeline for Bhutan’s economy. Transfers from Australia surged from under USD 2 million in August 2023 to nearly USD 20 million just four months later, stabilizing at around USD 12 million a month by late 2024. These inflows help reduce poverty, particularly in rural communities, and cushion the impact of migration on those left behind.
In the end, Bhutan’s migration surge reflects both the aspirations of its youth and the limitations of its economy. The question is not whether people will continue to leave, they will, but whether Bhutan can transform this exodus into an engine of growth rather than a source of decline. If it can, the country may yet turn brain drain into brain circulation, making migration not a threat but a vital force in its journey toward sustainable development.
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