Global skills deficiency: perspectives of skill mobility in Southeast Asian countries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it intends to engage in skill gain–lose debate in the contemporary global skill mobility context; and second, it looks into whether Southeast Asia (SEA) is losing by experiencing skill deficiency due to over outflow of talents. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected through interviews with policy makers, stakeholder and migrant professionals from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Findings The paper comes up with the brain drain dynamics to better understand the trajectory of skill mobility in and from SEA. Within the skill mobility discourse, it is undoubtedly difficult to conclude who are the losers and the gainers in the long run. Originality/value This research is based on relatively small sample. However, this offers a fresh insight into the skill deficiency dynamics in Southeast Asia.