Highly Skilled Migratin from Lithuania: A Critial Overview of the Period 1990-2018

Abstract

Central and Eastern European countries have been undergoing politial, social, and economic changes since1990. The process of internatinal migratin has been a cause for concern in many other new European Unionmember states (Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania in partiular). Drawing from a diversity of theoretial works,this paper will attmpt to analyze highly skilled migratin from Lithuania, an Eastern European country withone of the highest emigratin rates in Europe. It will analyze the trends in highly-skilled migratin from/toLithuania over the period of 1990-2018. The Lithuanian phenomenon of highly skilled migratin has beenargued to signify a qualitatie shif in migratin policy, from migratin seen as a threat to migratin/mobilityas the main prerequisite of the knowledge economy and development potentil. Insights from this analysismay later be used to contribute to analyzing the migratin phenomenon in a more comparatie regionalperspectie, as similar structural changes have taken place among the populatins and within the labor forceof all Central and Eastern European countries. Declining populatin size, worsening demographic indicators,aging, and labor-force shortages (especially among professionals) have become more and more pronounced.