Dear Editor,

Jamaica has always placed enormous faith in education — families sacrifice to send children to university and working adults pursue degrees, professional certification, and specialised training. The Government has invested heavily in education and skills development, but Jamaica continues to lose many of the very people it needs to build the country. This paradox deserves more attention than it receives.

Earlier this year, demographic expert Dr José Miguel Guzmán, speaking at a Planning Institute of Jamaica forum, noted that nearly 60 per cent of tertiary-educated Jamaicans live abroad. He also pointed to the continuing migration of specialist nurses. This should make us think seriously about how much of Jamaica’s investment in education is ultimately benefiting economies elsewhere. The effects are already showing up in critical sectors.

In May, Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton disclosed that Jamaica faced a deficit of approximately 400 specialist nurses. The Government has been pursuing international recruitment and other measures to help address shortages in nursing and specialised care. Teacher migration also remains a serious concern, with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association warning in August that the perennial problem was again creating pressure just weeks before the start of the new academic year.

And it is not only teachers and nurses. Jamaica needs engineers, technicians, tradespeople, accountants, technology professionals, and managers to support businesses, infrastructure, and essential services. When too many of these skills are lost, the effects are felt across the economy and in the services people rely on every day.

Pay matters, but it is only part of the decision. People also consider career progression, housing, transportation, workplace conditions, recognition, family opportunities, and whether years of education will genuinely translate into a better quality of life.

Jamaicans will continue to migrate, and they have every right to pursue opportunities abroad. But even though the Diaspora contributes significantly through remittances, investment, expertise, and international connections, it is concerning when leaving becomes the most sensible choice for too many qualified Jamaicans.

If Jamaica keeps educating skilled people without creating enough reasons for them to remain, we risk becoming a training ground for other countries’ labour markets.

So where is our national talent-retention strategy?

Jamaica needs a coordinated framework that identifies critical occupations, tracks emerging skills shortages, and directs support to the areas under the greatest pressure. Retention incentives could be targeted to hard-to-fill professions, while employers and public institutions strengthen promotion pathways, specialist allowances, professional development, and working conditions.

We should also make it easier for members of the Diaspora who want to return. A structured return programme could help qualified Jamaicans navigate professional registration, recruitment, relocation, and recognition of overseas experience. Better workforce planning would also allow education and training programmes to respond more closely to the skills the country is likely to need.

Jamaica cannot realistically match every salary offered in the United States, Canada, or England. But we can do more to make staying here a viable choice. A credible career path, professional respect, opportunity for advancement, and confidence in the country’s future can all influence that decision.

Producing more graduates is important, but it cannot be the only measure of success. We also have to ask whether the skills we develop remain available to strengthen the Jamaican economy.

Education has always been one of Jamaica’s greatest investments in its people. The real test is whether enough of these people can see a future worth building at home.

Renee Watkis

reneedicken@hotmail.com