The island of Montserrat has always produced professionals of global standards.
However, subsequent to the onset of the volcanic crisis in 1995, the country has found it difficult to maintain qualified workers within many vocations. The subcategory of 'young' professionals under the age of 35 has been a particularly arduous set to retain.
Many young professionals in Montserrat have migrated to more developed environments, while others choose to explore opportunities in nearby islands within the region. With these rotating skills gaps and poor succession planning within both the public and private sectors, the number of Montserrat-born professionals residing on island is gradually decreasing. As such, these vocations are being filled with contracted technical consultants or non-nationals who have recently immigrated to Montserrat. Contributions from local professionals giving a contextualized perspective in Montserrat's development plans is lacking. In turn, a generic globalized outlooked has become the norm.
Whilst there are merits to regionalization and globalization, there has been a reduction in the investment of the island's development by the local populace. Young, innovative thinkers are migrating to environments where the broad range of their skills are being utilized, and progressive opportunities are available.
This post seeks to identify 12 reasons why these young professionals in Montserrat have migrated, as well as the basis for others currently residing on island, doing the same.
1) Under-Utilization of Skills
This is a complaint that can be found in virtually every profession in most countries. However, in Montserrat, skills that are developed via long or short-term courses allow for dexterity and a broader range of knowledge areas. Within the island, these skills are restricted to what is required for the local context - which tend to be a small fraction of what the professional is capable of deploying.
2) Limited Opportunities for Upward Mobility
The higher up the chain of command, the fewer senior roles or positions that are available. For a young professional, the mere possibility of elevating up the ranks can inspire productivity, boost morale and ambition, and influence creative and innovative methods of addressing fundamental tasks within their job role. Within Montserrat, the small population has restricted the number of accessible posts to be promoted to. As such, many young professionals in Montserrat feel imprisoned after a few years of performing in the same role. This limited environment fails to boost motivation, discourages a competitive spirit at the workplace, and dissuades employee loyalty. Although lateral transfers occur throughout the public and private sectors, along with cross-sector shifts, the typical working young professional begins exploring options outside of the island when he/she feels that all efforts have been exhausted locally. This inkling is what begets resistance and discontent in the workplace, and discourages retention within the island.3) Limited Opportunities for Professional Development
With limited opportunities for upward mobility, young professionals yearn for growth in their careers via alternative means. Taught academic programs, short courses from reputable vocational bodies, on-the-job training, software training, management training, short-term internships at regional or international bodies, and support in attaining professional accreditations are some methods of encouraging young professionals, while grooming them for leadership positions. In Montserrat, a lack of resources has restricted the amount of assistance that can be offered to young professionals for their professional development. Departments and small businesses are frequently short staffed, financial resources minimal, and time is seemingly always inconvenient. Although both the public and private sectors have attempted to offer support to their staff in all of the areas mentioned above, the assistance at times tends to be few and far apart. A single worker may sometimes have to wait years before an opportunity arises where they are considered for career development. Whilst I believe that it is also a professional's responsibility to ensure that they are consistently pursuing continuing education, I also believe that the institution employing the worker has a responsibility to invest in their staff.4) Poor Senior Management
Perhaps one of the most controversial points in this post - supervisors with no vision, poor management skills, and an inability to recognize the contributions of their staff, tend to influence resignations. Although the Montserrat scenario is hardly different from many environments elsewhere, situations of victimization run rampant in both the public and private sectors. Alternatively, many managers fail to recognize weaknesses in key staff members, or a nonchalant approach to addressing these issues is maintained. Managers often align themselves with some subordinates, and become partial when promotion is to be considered or disciplinary procedures are to be enacted. Additionally, managers often times fail to include staff in key decisions that will affect both the future of the business entity as well as the professional future of their staff. Although many managers attempt objectivity when interacting with their employees, and most times adhere to the professional advice of their on-the-ground workers, often times this advice is overlooked with no justification. Moreover, young workers feel taken for granted or believe that their professional opinion is disregarded because of age or experience. Furthermore, young workers who gain additional expertise from studying or training abroad tend to return quite energized with an eagerness to introduce new and innovative skills and technology into their workplace. Occasionally, these skills are suppressed by senior managers who feel apprehensive and intimidated by contemporary techniques - which then result in both stagnation of the workplace and of the worker.
5) 'Crabs-in-a-Barrel' Mentality of Counterparts
This syndrome is rampant throughout the Caribbean region. Nepotism and victimization are both symptoms of this condition, which can affect workers on all tiers of an organizational structure. An ambitious young professional may be inspired to work beyond the call of duty - with a positive performance review reflecting this effort. Senior management may then recognize this energy and choose to reward the staff member with either a promotion or an additional opportunity for professional development. Whilst this perk is being contemplated, colleagues or those in authority may choose to obstruct this advancement via weak justifications of unworthiness. Unfortunately, the power to recommend or approve this reward, often times lies in the hands of those with the crabs-in-a-barrel mentality. Within Montserrat, inconsistencies in the rewards processes and the disciplinary processes are widespread within each organization. This narrow-minded approach in managing a business entity's human resources has caused many young professionals to instead consider fair and objective structures outside of the island.6) Lack of Vision from Leaders
7) Lack of a Thriving Private Sector
This cause has had the most discourse, and is perhaps one of the primary reasons for the emigration of young professionals from the island. The lack of a prosperous business sector has been an issue of much contention within Montserrat for the past two decades. Since the onset of the volcanic crisis in 1995, the primary focus of the public sector has been on economic development. Conversations centred around private sector development have had multiple strategies, policies, and plans developed, yet the current economy is still struggling. Unlike many other islands within the Caribbean, the public sector in Montserrat is the primary target of high-school leavers when matriculating from academics to the working environment. Additionally, the majority of persons within the public sector appear to retain their positions with little attempt to transition into entrepreneurship or in a private sector role. This may be attributed to the population size, the available corporate infrastructure, and the cost of doing business within Montserrat. Regardless of the reasons, the lack of a thriving private sector is currently causing young professionals to hesitate in making the jump to become full-time entrepreneurs, and instead, influencing migration to seek employment.8) Shallow Dating Pool
This may not seem like the typical reason for a young professional to migrate, but it IS a point that keeps reoccurring when discussions on youth emigration ensue. I've had numerous friends who have migrated, mention this point within their top five reasons for leaving Montserrat. Interestingly enough, despite years of living and dating within Montserrat, a few years after migrating to a new land, they've found their significant other. For a population of less than 5,000 people, family ties, platonic familiarity, and compatibility become major issues. Whilst many local people are fortunate enough to discover life partnerships in fellow patrons of the 39 square mile island, many others explore more contemporary methods of meeting people, such as social media.9) Claustrophobic Nature of the Small Island
Many residents appreciate the small scale of the island as it influences social interaction, community buy-in with development projects, and creates a comfort zone for conducting business. However, with a small population of under 5,000 people whom you work and socialize with, within a habitable area that is only a small fraction of the available 39 sq miles of the island's land mass, the atmosphere can become a bit...saturated. Residents become immersed in routines, with few changes to their lifestyles. Entertainment is sparse, grocery stores and shopping facilities are limited in the variety of items available, and meeting new people with similar interests also becomes a rare feat. Although some have developed a comfort zone in the current economic and social climate, many young professionals yearn for a lifestyle beyond the borders of Montserrat. Once a personal budget and circumstances permit, many young professionals frequently vacation regionally or internationally to avoid the monotony in activities and context. When the frequent travel experiences offer opportunities elsewhere, often times our young professionals discover the merit in making the once 'visited' locations home, and alternatively turning their homeland into a vacation spot.10) Highly Taxed Society
While many may argue that the range of taxes within Montserrat are equally as exorbitant regionally, the economic environment within the island easily contributes to the feeling of being overburdened by taxes. Residents working within Montserrat are granted a XCD$15,000 p.a. allowance, with Personal Income Taxes reaching as high as 30+% on some salaries. With an already limited variety of items available on island, many residents choose to import goods from the USA and UK, but are burdened with duty and consumption tax often times combining to equate to 55% the cost of the item being imported. Unlike many of our counterparts with similar circumstances in neighboring islands, there are no cheap, direct flights to more developed countries to reduce this burden. Return flights from Montserrat, to Antigua, then to Miami can cost at least XCD$2,100 - excluding accommodation and spending money. In other islands, residents are taking fortnightly trips to Miami to shop at a mere cost of XCD$530. Store owners, of course, feel the burden of this tax and in turn relay that burden to consumers. 11) Limited Stress-Busting Activities
This is perhaps one of the main elements that sets Montserrat apart from our neighbouring islands. Youth entertainment is finite, with few outlets to engage, socialize, and release the tensions of career and context. This being said, there are many seasonal events, and quite often event coordinators and NGO's in Montserrat organize community events that draw the public in. However, the size of the population is one of the primary reasons for the lack of investment in entertainment spaces, with many investors fearing the failure of not breaking even. As such, the island currently lacks leisure activities such as a cinema, zip lining, and a variety of lively nighttime entertainment, which can help alleviate the feeling of 'burn out'. Whilst patrons of the island tend to create their own entertainment, the availability of set/scheduled leisure activities is few and far apart.12) Limited Investment Opportunities
While some may argue that this is not a strong justification for migration, often times this can be a contributing factor. Young professionals are typically attempting to progress in both their careers, as well as their social lives, and as such, many begin exploring ways to put money into ventures that will give them a high yield from a low investment. Typically, investment interests for young professionals globally may include property, bank shares, company shares, and external financial markets. However, in the local context, residents are limited to investing in property with high price tags, purchasing shares in the island's indigenous bank, or purchasing shares in the few local business who are interested in divesting. With these limitations, often times young professionals feel restricted, with few options of supplementing their income, beyond private work.So How Do We Resolve This?
Addressing these issues will take more than overnight solutions. With an ever-changing society, and revolving needs, the temperature of the youths on island must be constantly measures to determine what solutions work best for which demographic, and in which era. It is imperative that youth feedback on national policies are consistently sought with no intimidation, and at frequent intervals. Young professionals must be encouraged to engage with external professional bodies and discussions on succession planning must be given more than lip service. Although the migration of young professionals may not seem like an immediate travesty, in 5-10 years when many managers are seeking to retire, the pool of potential successors will be lacking quality options for elevation. With poor alternatives to elevate to management positions, the island will then see a gradual decline in innovation and leadership.
This, in turn, will impact our economic and social development.
(All images produced in BitMoji)
