Embracing the reverse brain drain: nurturing regional talent

Emerging markets in the Arab world are brimming with engineering talent, with 20 universities in the region ranking among the top 2% schools globally for their engineering and technology programmes.

Yet economic instability in the MENAP region often makes engineers search abroad for better career prospects and standards of living. This creates a self-perpetuating gap in advanced technology stacks and skills, which impacts the ability of communities to adopt the latest tools and technologies to drive economic and societal development.

Engineers are important for development. They provide solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, building infrastructure and driving advancements that improve the way we live and interact with our environment.

The global ratio of engineers to members of society is one engineer for every 200 people. Countries in the MENAP region top this - including Egypt where the ratio is 1 to 8.5 and Jordan where it is 1 to 40. Yet many of these engineers choose to work abroad. By the end of 2022, consensus showed that 38,000 out of 188,900 Jordanian engineers were working outside of Jordan.

Demand for software engineers is growing globally and this is pushing more students to choose computer science in school. From 2018 to 2023 the number of software developers (a subset of software engineers) around the world increased by 20%.

There are signs that more software engineers from MENA are choosing to return home as local tech scenes develop and more opportunities at home open up, providing local talent with more opportunities to upskill and follow tangible career paths that fulfill their aspirations.

Out of all of our relocated hires at Careem since 2023, around 40% have a personal connection to the region through their nationality, and several more may have other ties to the region.

This 'reverse brain drain' - where talent returns home after traveling abroad for work - is testament to the region's potential and the desire of these professionals to contribute to the development of the communities they grew up in or where they hold a personal connection to. They bring with them diverse experiences and skills and are eager to apply their global knowledge to local challenges, fostering further innovation within the region.

Since Careem was founded 12 years ago, we’ve provided a springboard for hundreds of individuals to kick-start their careers, drive impact across the region, and even prepare to launch their own ventures. Over 250 Careem colleagues have gone on to launch their own start-ups, collectively raising over $700 million from international and regional investors which in turn has helped to spur the growth of the ecosystem.

We’ve thought carefully about our ‘colleague value proposition’ - the drivers that attract smart talent to our purposeful mission. We believe that it’s driven by an opportunity to drive impact across one of the fastest-growing and most culturally-diverse regions in the world. But also because we provide an environment for excellent learning and development amongst a community of inspiring people.

We’re thrilled to see talent returning to the region to join us in our mission. And we continue to take steps to nurture the community and provide opportunities for the next generation.

Our colleagues are involved in a wide-range of community-building initiatives across society, including mentoring, fostering dialogues, and consulting with the government and other industry stakeholders on topics like digital transformation, AI and tech policy, through initiatives including the UAE AI CAMP.

Academic collaborations have provided a platform for our top engineers to collaborate with academia to drive real solutions to regional problems. In partnership with Lahore University of Management Sciences we developed a new ride-hailing demand prediction model, providing localised solutions to address spatiotemporal challenges created by time of day, weather conditions and location.

A case study with INSEAD enabled us to explore ways that global business models can be adapted to local consumer preferences. Our research with arXiv, Cornell University’s open archive for scholarly articles focused on game theory  and machine learning, identifying ways to enhance service efficiency using the STEF-DHNet demand prediction model.

We recognise that we have a responsibility to create opportunities to attract the incredible talent stemming from the MENAP region to stay and contribute to our region’s prosperity. Within the competitive and rapidly-changing world of tech and engineering, they have an opportunity to contribute to global innovation.

With this ambition in mind, we launched the Careem Next Gen program to upskill new college graduates to specialisms including data science, data analytics, infra engineering and software engineering. We know that exceptional talent are looking for exposure in product-centric organizations within the region. Next Gen participants get to grips with the full range of Careem’s tech stack, allowing them to contribute meaningfully alongside our senior engineering teams.

Participants in the program are full-time employees, treated as every other engineer rather than as interns or entry-level staff. They receive technical mentorship from senior individual contributors and managers across Careem’s nine tech sites. They gain a strong grasp of object-oriented programming, data structures, and algorithms, but also enhance their communication and soft skills through learning to present their work in meetings and participate in coding competitions.

By providing opportunities for the next generation, we are unlocking the full potential of engineering talent in Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, KSA, and beyond. We invite other companies to do the same.