Can brain drain be avoided through online training?

The tendency to job-hopping, literally jumping from one job to another, also increases in Italy. The risk for companies is to lose the best talent, especially in favor of foreign companies. Thanks to eLearning, brain drain can be mitigated.

Can brain drain be avoided through online training?

The tendency to job-hopping, literally jumping from one job to another, also increases in Italy. The risk for companies is to lose the best talent, especially in favor of foreign companies. Thanks to eLearning, brain drain can be mitigated.

According to a study by Deloitte on 10 thousand Millennials, young people born between 1983 and 1994, 64% would change jobs in the United States and 43% would do it in Italy. The fact in itself can be positive if you think that the boys change jobs because they find better opportunities. In a country like Italy where, according to Istat data, at least 117 thousand people annually, of which over a third graduates, leave the country to find job opportunities abroad, the tendency to job hopping is also associated with escape of brains. When job hopping moves abroad, the risk of losing professionalism, skills and knowledge in the long run can translate into an equally long-term loss of competitiveness and productivity on the part of Italian companies. As for the brain drain, its impact on the Italian economy has been estimated by the Ministry of Economy at 14 billion euros per year. How to stop job-hopping associated with brain drain? Analyzing the causes that push to look for a new job and to emigrate, we understand that eLearning could be a much more strategic ally than we think. Let's see why.

The reasons for job-hopping and brain drain

According to the Ranstad Employer Research in 2018 the reasons that push Italians to change jobs are not only purely economic. Even if a higher salary collects 48% of preferences in general, making an analysis by age group the priorities change. In fact, Italian workers in the 25-34 age group declare that they want to change jobs to find a better balance between free time and work. The company's financial strength and higher salary therefore become a secondary aspect for Millennials. The same reveals a study by Pwc on Italians abroad. The decision to move is determined by the desire to improve, find opportunities for professional growth and a meritocratic environment where the skills guarantee career advancement.

The eLearning answers to retain the best talents

The consequences of job hopping and the emigration of people with a higher educational qualification both lead to the same conclusion for companies: the loss of talent. ELearning could give a concrete answer to some of the causes that push people to look for better working conditions in another company or abroad, guaranteeing:

  • Flexibility: it is the main feature of eLearning that allows all staff to train freely and with their own time, without taking away space from the family or from work.
  • Personal development: investing in training is a way in itself to retain the best talents, pushing them to continuous improvement with positive effects for the whole company. With a well-stocked online content library, there are not only courses required by law, but also a series of courses on technical and transversal skills. The beneficiaries of the courses can therefore shape their professional path and improve in the current position and prepare for a career advancement within the same company.
  • Involvement: with eLearning tools, such as surveys, forums, simulations, the beneficiaries of the courses can express their point of view and feel fully part of the training process and working life in the company in general.

Jumping from one job to another or moving abroad are two trends that, if associated, can lead to a great loss of professionalism and competitiveness for Italian companies. Even if it cannot solve all the questions underlying these phenomena, eLearning can provide an answer to some of the causes that determine them by promoting personal development and participation thanks to its intrinsic flexibility.

Article taken from ElearningIndustry


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