Bimodal IT career aspirations in Bangladesh

Abstract

Saxenian's concept of "brain circulation" suggests that the information technology sectors of developing countries benefit from having their brightest talent move and work abroad, as some then return home with new skills and networks. This accelerates economic growth within their country of origin. A key first step for good brain circulation is the initial emigration of a country's talent. We consider this issue for Bangladesh - which compared with India has seen far less brain circulation - and focus on university students' aspirations for careers abroad. Based on a survey distributed to 595 undergraduate IT students, we find that students' aspirations bifurcate into those hoping to work in English-speaking developed countries and those expecting to remain in Bangladesh.