Does your country have an emigration problem?

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Frogger
Not really, despite a bunch of conservative whining to the contrary.

Exhaustive studies have demonstrated that our trade in highly-trained professionals is just about balanced with the US, and of course our trade with the rest of the world is heavily in our favour.

What's been overlooked is the emmigration of Hong Kong immigrants to Canada. During the late 80s and early 90s there was a flood of Hong Kong people moving to Canada. Many of these people were well educated entrepreneurs. A large portion of these immigrants have returned to Hong Kong to start new businesses. They're creating jobs in Hong Kong and Mainland China, rather than in Canada.

[KrazyHorse]

I doubt that has much to do with us, though. That has more to do with the fact that the Chinese didn't slaughter Hong-Kongians by the thousands on Jan1 1997(?)

I bet it was similar in the states (although I hear we we were easier on restrictions, so more came here)

That's also a temporary effect that can be pretty easily separated from long-term trends...

[Tingkai]

You're right about why these people returned to Hong Kong, and this trend probably occurred in other places as you suggested, but it still represents a missed opportunity.

Long term, most Hong Kong people I know with Canadian citizenship want to return to Canada, but after they retire. This will create some interesting effects on the Canadian economy in abou 20 years. There will be lots of wealthy Hong Kong people moving back creating an infusion of investment into Canada, but also putting a strain on the Canadian healthcare system due to their old age.

[Urban Ranger]

In 20 years though, some of the cities in the Pearl River Delta will develop into garden cities for retiring people, just like some cities in Mexico are. They will be able to attract lots of people with Canadian citizenship there.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Dissident
On a related note does anyone of value actually leave the U.S.?

Yes... anyone wanting to do medical research not condoned by the current administration. There are quite a few US scientists in England, for instance, doing stem-cell research.

[Dinner]

There are a ton of U.S. ex-pats living in just about every country of the world. Many of them go native or meet a local spouse and never come back.

[Daz]

Yep, I personally know a few who came from the US to live here. And I know of several others who are seriously thinking to do the same. Also, there is a lot of people from Germany, Austria and other EU countries who come to live here. Not only old folks. But is't not because of money. You have to realize, although its hard for some people, that money isnt everything in a persons life.

[chequita guevara]

"Short of a major increase in immigration, economic growth cannot be safely counted upon to eliminate deficits and the difficult choices that will be required to restore fiscal discipline," Greenspan said.

Guess that settles that.

[tandeetaylor]

Why do you keep quoting one of the foremost disciples of Ayn Rand, che?

[Sandman]

5m? The city I live in alone has 1.3m and L.A. is four or five times as many people. You Scots need to start showing porn on T.V. or something; somebody needs to step up to the plate and help make the next generation a reality.

It's a very slow decline. The population has never been more than 6m, for example. I don't think that Scotland has the geography to support a very dense population.

I was thinking about this the other day and I realised that in Canada (and possibly the US) there are almost as many Scots-descended people as there are English-descended, but that in the UK there are 10X as many Englishmen as Scots.

Scotland certainly had a higher emigration rate than England in the past, but don't you think that at least part of that statistic is North Americans deliberately up-playing their Scottishness?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

"Short of a major increase in immigration, economic growth cannot be safely counted upon to eliminate deficits and the difficult choices that will be required to restore fiscal discipline," Greenspan said.

Guess that settles that.

They could always cut spending and that would eliminate the deficit. Of course that would be logical so no one in Washington will propose doing that.