We hear a great deal about the need for companies to find new ways to attract and retain critical skills. Yet, the original sources of ‘brain drain’ (i.e. migrant populations or ‘diasporas’) might just hold some of the answers to this growing business issue.

Actively engaging with diasporas offers very specific advantages over other strategies for skill retention, and this is because (generally speaking) they are:

1. Young: the median age of the foreign population living in the EU was 34.4 years in 2010, which is 7.1 years lower than the median age of the nationals (41.5).

2. Skilled: in OECD countries the skill intensity of migration is around 70 percent. Many visa requirements ensure that migrant populations bring with them high levels of skills and experience. Significant diasporas also develop out of populations that settle after being educated by the host country’s tertiary education system, keeping critical skills in-country.

3. Connected: they have connections in their home country, which can be used by corporates looking to expand into new markets.

Take a look at this migration snapshot, which shows how widespread and numerous diasporas are already. It also provides a small insight into why diasporas are a major global force for making new connections and expanding business networks.