The brain drain in Portugal: some explanatory reasons

In recent years youth unemployment has increased very quickly and intensely namely regarding the higher education qualified, in Portugal. This outward movement is so strong that it can be viewed as a true brain drain. This paper aims to quantify the variables under consideration – unemployment and emigration - in last decade and present some of the reasons for the skilled emigration in Portugal. These reasons come from the preliminary results of a research that the authors are carrying out on the subject. The research is financed by FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology), the main official agency for funding research in the country.