AFTER a failed Return of Talent Programme in the 1990s and decades of no coherent strategies to facilitate return migration, Jamaica is now taking deliberate steps to address the ongoing brain drain by actively re-engaging its diaspora and implementing new national policies aimed at encouraging the return of highly skilled migrants.

A recent World Bank document entitled ‘International Migration in the Caribbean’ reported that “most Caribbean countries are net migrant-sending countries, with emigration outflows surpassing immigration inflows”, illustrating the significance of the migration problem that includes the loss of highly skilled professionals.

It was not until 2020 that Jamaica implemented the National Policy on International Migration and Development to advance initiatives which address the challenges of migration. It included, among various strategies to tackle migration, the “return, integration and reintegration” of migrants.

While prior to 2020 there was no national policy that specifically sought to stimulate return migration, Jamaica did attempt to tackle this challenge.

“As a country, we had never had a policy around the return of Jamaicans from the diaspora to work, but we had a programme,” revealed Antonette Richards, programme director for the Civil Registration and Migration Policy Project Unit at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

This was the Return of Talent Programme implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Jamaica in the 1990s to attract highly qualified professionals from the Jamaican Diaspora and other countries to return to the island and fill vacant positions in the public sector.

It offered various financial incentives to encourage participants, including one-way airfares for the candidate and their immediate family members, up to 50 per cent of the cost of shipping household items, a one-time re-entry subsidy, two-year full medical and accident insurance, a monthly salary subsidy, and equipment necessary for the candidate’s work.

The goal was for the recruited individuals to remain in their assigned public sector positions for at least two years, during which time knowledge and technology transfer would occur.

According to the ‘International Migration in the Caribbean’ report by the World Bank, the programme had limited success, resulting in the reintegration of only 59 professionals to address available positions from 1994 to 1999, falling short of meeting the 118 requests from the public sector to address staffing gaps during that period.

The programme had other problems as well.

“There were some concerns shared by locals which were, ‘But we are doing the same work that they are doing, why are they being paid more? We stayed here, we did not run off, and we have been here giving to the country,’ ” Richards explained.

Locals also emphasised their equal or superior qualifications compared to some of the returning professionals. These complaints plus the depletion of funding brought about the end of the programme.

Richards points out that while the National Policy on International Migration and Development passed in 2020 does not include a return to work programme, “it looks at a number of things starting to do with migration, but there is a section of the policy which looks at return and reintegration.”

“One of the outcomes, one of the goals is how do we fully reintegrate migrants back into the environment,” she said. “And so while this does not speak to ‘return to work’, it speaks to how we as a country ensure that with persons returning to Jamaica, they are able to get what they need. It even speaks to the involuntary return migrants, what we call the deported persons. We take that whole group into account in terms of that.”

“Then there is also the Diaspora Policy, which is also the latest policy, and that goes into greater detail because there is goal six of the policy and that looks at promoting human capital exchanges and return and integration of diaspora populations,” Richards added.

The programme director explained that these policy developments were the catalyst for a number of new initiatives.

“We have started having the biennial diaspora conference,” she pointed out. “There was a diaspora mapping exercise, which was done some time ago with assistance from IOM [International Organization for Migration] to identify some of the skills of people in the diaspora.”

Richards further explained that, at present, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the PIOJ are collaborating, benefiting from resources provided by the Inter-American Development Bank to create a platform aimed at engaging with the diaspora more effectively.

An app development company is developing this virtual space to enable diaspora members to register, display their skills, and actively engage in local initiatives. Moreover, it will facilitate their involvement in social programmes and provide opportunities for them to invest in community-focused projects.

“So we have the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange, for example, that has social initiatives and social projects,” she elaborated. “It can create a space where the diaspora can see what we are doing in Jamaica as it relates to our 2030 process and our sustainable development goals and how they can feed into that.”

The platform will provide information on various topics, including how to pay contributions to NHT [ National Housing Trust] and NIS [National Insurance Scheme] from abroad. It will also offer information about consulates and embassies, keeping diaspora members informed about activities and events.

Diaspora members can register on the platform, and their skills and information can be used to benefit both the diaspora and Jamaica. It will provide information on Jamaica’s activities, festivals, sporting events, and its Vision 2030 goals. The goal is to engage the diaspora more effectively, and the platform is expected to launch by the next diaspora conference next year.

There are plans to track and measure responses within this virtual space.

Another initiative undertaken by the Government to enable the diaspora to contribute and work in Jamaica involves the broadening of job opportunities. Positions, including local jobs and consultancies, are now advertised with an open invitation for anyone, including Jamaicans overseas, to apply. This inclusivity means that government job listings are accessible on the Services Commission website as well as the ministries’ websites, removing any restrictions on who can submit their applications.

“So while we do not have the special benefits that we would have under the formal Return of Talent programme, where we would have been paying them a little bit more or things like that, you would still get the benefit of your duty-free return of your effects,” Richards said. “You would get that as a Jamaican. Even if coming back as a retiree, you would still get that benefit. Only thing is that you would be paid the salary aligned to the post, which would be a salary that, if someone in Jamaica had gotten the post, they would get.”

The listed jobs, however, are specifically within the public sector. When asked how many jobs have been taken by Jamaican migrants, Richards informed that this has not been measured and that tracking this information is a potential consideration for the future.

There is also currently no government programme aimed at facilitating greater private sector job opportunities for the diaspora.

According to Richards, diaspora policies are currently a work in progress, and the focus is on engaging the diaspora in various ways beyond just returning to work full-time in Jamaica. Some diaspora members may return to start businesses, invest, or work virtually online. The return of Jamaicans and children of Jamaicans can take various forms, reflecting the diverse intentions and lifestyles of those returning.

The National Policy on International Migration and Development states that “migrants are recognised by the Government as an important source of skills and direct investment to the country”, and it identifies the need for a robust system that facilitates the transition and resettlement of returning migrants, equipping them with the tools and opportunities they need to actively contribute to the country’s development.

The policy has a stated goal for the year 2030, where mechanisms will have been established to integrate or reintegrate migrants into an environment that actively facilitates their meaningful contributions to Jamaica’s development.