Editing Kerala model (section)

=== Job opportunities and brain drain ===
Despite having high standards of human development, the Kerala model ranks low in terms of industrial and economic development. The high rate of education combined with a small job market in the region has resulted in a [[brain drain]], with many citizens migrating to other parts of the world, especially the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf States]], for employment. A spike of young educated workers emigrating from Kerala occurred in the 1990s. The [[Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation]] attempted to reverse this trend by starting a number of construction projects that will provide 5 million jobs in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brain drain to brain gain |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-16140058 |website=BBC News |date=12 December 2011}}</ref> In 2023, there was a significant decrease in net migration to the Gulf States due to the worsening job market in these target countries, with many workers returning to Kerala;<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kerala migration story: Decline in migration to Gulf, over 40% emigrants are Muslim |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/kerala-mirgation-survey-findings-gulf-9398005/ |website=The Indian Express |language=en |date=18 June 2024}}</ref> many of them were distress returnees.<ref name="Kumar">{{cite web |last1=Kumar |first1=Dileep V. |title=Youth exodus: Kerala sees unprecedented rise in student emigration, sparks concerns of growing brain drain |url=https://thesouthfirst.com/kerala/youth-exodus-kerala-sees-unprecedented-rise-in-student-emigration-sparks-concerns-of-growing-brain-drain/ |website=The South First |language=en |date=15 June 2024}}</ref> However, the returnees face difficulties in reintegrating with the Kerala job market, as their skills were often not aligned with local needs. Due to financial difficulties, they also tend to accept immediate income over longer-term career growth, so they end up in low-paying jobs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why do Gulf returnees struggle to find jobs in Kerala? |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/why-finding-a-job-for-gulf-returnees-is-difficult-in-kerala-1.10350540 |website=English.Mathrubhumi |language=en |date=17 February 2025}}</ref>

The net decrease in worker migration has not reduced the overall emigration figure in 2023, however. Part of this is due to an unprecedented rise in students studying abroad, which accounted for 11.3% of the total emigration figure.<ref name="Kumar"/>