E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Brain Waste & Credential Recognition

Brain Waste & Credential Recognition

Barriers to the recognition of foreign academic and professional credentials and experience are widely recognized as an impediment to the international mobility of skilled professionals and to immigrant integration. The result can be underemployment or unemployment for foreign professionals—a phenomenon referred to as "brain waste." As the research here demonstrates, the resulting waste of human capital represents a loss to employers, host communities, and immigrants themselves.

Recent Activity

Cover image for Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean
Reports
March 2023
Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean: A Policy Review
By  Valerie Lacarte, Jordi Amaral, Diego Chaves-González, Ana María Sáiz and Jeremy Harris
A migrant from Tajikistan outside Moscow.
Articles
February 7, 2023
Post-Soviet Labor Migrants in Russia Face New Questions amid War in Ukraine
By Caress Schenk
Cover image for The Skills and Economic Outcomes of Immigrant and U.S.-Born College Graduates
Fact Sheets
December 2022
The Skills and Economic Outcomes of Immigrant and U.S.-Born College Graduates
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
A view of Barcelona.
Articles
October 19, 2022
Spain’s Decentralized Immigration System Allows Local Integration Policies to Lead the Way
By Jenna Mazza
Image of women and young children from Ukraine arriving at train station in Bucharest
Commentaries
October 2022
Why the European Labor Market Integration of Displaced Ukrainians Is Defying Expectations
By  Maria Vincenza Desiderio and Kate Hooper
Cover image for COVID-19’s Effects on U.S. Immigration and Immigrant Communities
Reports
June 2022
COVID-19’s Effects on U.S. Immigration and Immigrant Communities, Two Years On
By  Julia Gelatt and Muzaffar Chishti
Help Wanted sign offers employment in a restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland
Multimedia
April 20, 2022
With Millions of Unfilled U.S. Jobs, What Role Is There for Immigration?
Cover image for Leveraging the Skills of Immigrant Health-Care Professionals in Illinois and Chicago
Policy Briefs
April 2022
Leveraging the Skills of Immigrant Health-Care Professionals in Illinois and Chicago
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix

Pages

Cover for Leaving Money on the Table: Persistence of Brain Waste among College-Educated Immigrants
Reports
June 2021
Leaving Money on the Table: The Persistence of Brain Waste among College-Educated Immigrants
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
The Integration of Immigrant Health Professionals: Looking beyond the COVID-19 Crisis
Policy Briefs
April 2021
The Integration of Immigrant Health Professionals: Looking beyond the COVID-19 Crisis
By  Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix and José Ramón Fernández-Peña
Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
Reports
November 2020
Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou
Stethoscope sitting on a medical textbook
Fact Sheets
July 2020
Brain Waste among U.S. Immigrants with Health Degrees: A Multi-State Profile
By  Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix and Sarah Pierce
European Cities on the Front Line: New and Emerging Governance Models for Migrant Inclusion
Reports
May 2020
European Cities on the Front Line: New and Emerging Governance Models for Migrant Inclusion
By  Liam Patuzzi
Transatlantic Council Statement report, January 2020
Reports
January 2020
Rebuilding Community after Crisis: Striking a New Social Contract for Diverse Societies (Transatlantic Council Statement)
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Meghan Benton
Coverthumb HighlySkilledMexicans TX
Fact Sheets
May 2019
A Profile of Highly Skilled Mexican Immigrants in Texas and the United States
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Coverthumb MPIPostsecondaryCredentials FactSheet
Fact Sheets
March 2019
Immigrant-Origin Adults without Postsecondary Credentials: A 50-State Profile
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix

Pages

A migrant from Tajikistan outside Moscow.
Feature
February 7, 2023
Post-Soviet Labor Migrants in Russia Face New Questions amid War in Ukraine

Millions of immigrants fill key sectors in Russia’s economy, help offset its demographic challenges, and support origin communities, particularly in Central Asia. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many have also been pressured into joining the military, and meanwhile face continued marginalization by Russian society. This article outlines the key issues facing these migrants, some of which have been complicated by the fallout from the war.

A view of Barcelona.
Feature
October 19, 2022
Spain’s Decentralized Immigration System Allows Local Integration Policies to Lead the Way

Spain has an unconventional immigration system. The national government is primarily responsible for border control, granting legal status to migrants, and other issues, but integration is mostly handled by regional and local governments, allowing for some pioneering policies at the subnational level. This article explores what this system has meant for Catalonia and its capital, Barcelona, which have been considered to be a model throughout Europe.

Arrivals from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, depart a train in Moscow.
Feature
February 3, 2021
The Eurasian Economic Union: Repaving Central Asia’s Road to Russia?

In recent decades Russia has been increasingly reliant on Central Asian migrant workers. Those workers, in turn, have sent back remittances that have been crucial for their countries of origin. Since 2015, many of these ex-Soviet countries have come together in the Eurasian Economic Union to solidify their bonds and ease migrants' passage to Russia. This article explores the bloc and how it reflects Russia's role in the region.

College Graduates_uhwestoahu
Spotlight
September 16, 2020
College-Educated Immigrants in the United States

Nearly 13 million immigrants have a four-year college degree or better. But these highly educated immigrants are not spread evenly throughout the labor market. They make up disproportionate shares of certain jobs, especially in the science and technology fields, accounting for 45 percent of software developers, 42 percent of physical scientists, and 29 percent of physicians. Yet there are signs that the trends of this population might be changing, as this article explores.

HealthWorkers_Flickr_JakeGreenbergUSPacificFleet
Spotlight
May 14, 2020
Immigrant Health-Care Workers in the United States

Immigrants make up a disproportionately high number of U.S. health-care workers, from doctors and nurses to home health aides. In 2018, more than 2.6 million immigrants worked in the U.S. health-care field. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, immigrants have played a key role in the frontline response. This article explores the demographics of this group of essential workers by occupation, origin, language, education, and more.

Pages

archive >
FLICKR Adam Cohn ConstructionWorkers
Video, Audio
March 8, 2019

Upskilling the U.S. Labor Force: Mapping the Credentials of Immigrant-Origin Workers

This webinar discusses the first-ever profile of the 30 million immigrant-origin adults in the United States who lack a postsecondary credential and offers analysis of the significant payoff credentials could bring in terms of workforce participation and wages.

2017.2.28 PHOTO Reducing Integration Barriers photo from Upwardly Global
Video, Audio
February 28, 2017

Reducing Integration Barriers Facing Foreign-Trained Immigrants: Policy and Practice Lessons from Across the United States

Marking the release of a report on the barriers foreign-trained high-skilled immigrants face in the United States, this webinar examines programs and initiatives that assist with credential recognition, employment, and relicensure, as well as recent policy developments. Discussants review recommendations for community-based organizations, employers, and policymakers to expand successful efforts aimed at preventing brain waste. 

2016.12.7 PHOTO Doctors as Taxi Drivers panel shot
Video, Audio
December 7, 2016

Doctors as Taxi Drivers: The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States

A presentation of the first-ever U.S. estimates on the economic costs of brain waste for highly skilled immigrants, their families, and the U.S. economy. The researchers discuss their findings in terms of the billions of dollars in forgone earnings and unrealized taxes when college-educated immigrants are relegated to low-skilled work.

Event PH 2016.12.7 Jeanne batalova
Video, Expert Q&A
December 6, 2016

Brain Waste: Researchers Discuss Economic Costs of Skill Underutilization among Highly Skilled Immigrants

Nearly 2 million college-educated immigrants in the United States are stuck in low-skilled jobs or are unemployed—a phenomenon known as brain waste. In this brief video, MPI researchers discuss their key findings on immigrant skill underutilization and the resulting billions of dollars in unrealized wages and forgone federal, state, and local tax receipts.

Event PH 2016.2.17 Demetri at Europe Migration Crisis
Video, Audio
February 17, 2016

Europe’s Migration Crisis: A Status Report and the Way Forward

MPI's Demetrios Papademetriou discusses the current policy responses to the refugee and migration crisis at EU and national levels, and possible options for dealing more effectively with the crisis and longer-term integration challenges.

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
November 2020

Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19

Around the world, governments are grappling with how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic while also managing the economic fallout of policies put in place to stop the virus’ spread. Global migration has dropped sharply amid border closures and travel restrictions. This reflection takes stock of policy responses to the pandemic thus far, and of the challenges (and some opportunities) on the horizon for migration systems, labor markets, and integration of newcomers.

Articles
September 16, 2020

College-Educated Immigrants in the United States

Nearly 13 million immigrants have a four-year college degree or better. But these highly educated immigrants are not spread evenly throughout the labor market. They make up disproportionate shares of certain jobs, especially in the science and technology fields, accounting for 45 percent of software developers, 42 percent of physical scientists, and 29 percent of physicians. Yet there are signs that the trends of this population might be changing, as this article explores.

Fact Sheets
July 2020

Brain Waste among U.S. Immigrants with Health Degrees: A Multi-State Profile

Across the United States, the skills of an estimated 263,000 immigrants and refugees with health-related degrees are going underutilized during a time of pandemic, with these health professionals either in low-skilled jobs or out of work. This fact sheet offers the first-ever state profiles of this population, including the states in which they live, the languages they speak, their fields of study, and legal statuses.

Reports
May 2020

European Cities on the Front Line: New and Emerging Governance Models for Migrant Inclusion

As migration transforms cities across Europe—both large metropolises and small cities—there is a thriving debate about how to support immigrants’ integration into communities, labor markets, and health and education systems. This MPI Europe-International Organization for Migration report explores promising approaches that make the most of local governance tools to optimize migrant inclusion, even in the face of challenges.

Articles
May 14, 2020

Immigrant Health-Care Workers in the United States

Immigrants make up a disproportionately high number of U.S. health-care workers, from doctors and nurses to home health aides. In 2018, more than 2.6 million immigrants worked in the U.S. health-care field. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, immigrants have played a key role in the frontline response. This article explores the demographics of this group of essential workers by occupation, origin, language, education, and more.

Articles
April 24, 2020

Vulnerable to COVID-19 and in Frontline Jobs, Immigrants Are Mostly Shut Out of U.S. Relief

On the frontlines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic yet also more disproportionately affected by the virus and with reduced health-care access, immigrants in the United States have largely found themselves blocked from federal economic relief. As states and philanthropic groups seek to plug the gap, this article examines conditions and changing policies around immigration and the coronavirus response.

Commentaries
April 2020

As U.S. Health-Care System Buckles under Pandemic, Immigrant & Refugee Professionals Could Represent a Critical Resource

In a time of critical shortages of U.S. health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, retired doctors are being called back to work and medical students are graduating on a fast track. There is another important pool that could be tapped: Immigrants and refugees who have college degrees in health fields but are working in low-skilled jobs or out of work. MPI estimates 263,000 immigrants are experiencing skill underutilization and could be a valuable resource.

Articles
January 23, 2020

Global Demand for Medical Professionals Drives Indians Abroad Despite Acute Domestic Health-Care Worker Shortages

India is the world's largest source for immigrant physicians, and for Indian-trained doctors and nurses the allure of working abroad is strong despite an acute domestic shortage of health-care workers. Against this pull, the Indian government has enacted a number of policies to limit and regulate the emigration of health-care professionals, though these have been more ad hoc in nature and not part of a fully realized strategy.

Pages