Rising Outmigration of Highly Educated Immigrants from Sweden
Over 17,000 highly educated immigrants left Sweden in 2024 due to job market challenges.
Key Points
- • More than 17,000 non-European immigrants left Sweden last year, many highly educated.
- • Over half of these emigrants held university or college degrees.
- • Skilled immigrants face difficulties in finding jobs in their fields.
- • Experts criticize the underutilization of skilled foreign-born residents in the Swedish labor market.
Recent data has revealed a concerning trend in Sweden, where over 17,000 non-European immigrants relocated from the country last year, many of whom are highly educated. According to the Swedish Agency for Statistics, more than half of these individuals, aged between 25 and 65, held university or college degrees, sparking discussions on the integration of skilled immigrants into the Swedish labor market.
One prominent example is Prabhat Khanal, a Nepalese immigrant who moved to Sweden in 2018 to pursue a doctoral degree at Chalmers University of Technology. Despite three years of diligent job searches, he was unable to find employment in his field and opted to move to Switzerland for better opportunities. "I left Sweden in December 2024," he stated, expressing regret over having to leave due to the challenges posed by language barriers and social integration in a foreign job market.
Experts like Andrea Monti from Mälardalen University highlight the systemic issues at play, indicating that many immigrants leave because they are unable to secure jobs that correspond with their qualifications or because the salaries do not meet their expectations. Patrick Joyce from Almega further pointed out that Swedish employers are not effectively utilizing the skills of these highly educated, foreign-born residents, contributing to the ongoing brain drain and raising alarms within the Swedish workforce about the future implications for the economy.