Africa has the world's youngest population, but many young professionals are looking beyond the continent for career opportunities. The question is not simply how many people are leaving, It is why they are considering leaving in the first place.
This is where telephone research can reveal something migration statistics alone cannot: what young professionals actually want from their careers, what is influencing their decisions and what could make them consider building their future at home.
The pressure is significant. In March 2026, the World Bank noted that Africa creates roughly 3 million formal jobs each year while around 10–12 million young people enter the labour force annually. The gap between new labour-market entrants and available formal opportunities can shape how young professionals think about income, career progression and their long-term future.
For some, the attraction of working abroad may be higher salaries. For others, it could be career progression, better working conditions, access to specialised training or opportunities in industries where local positions are limited. The International Labour Organization also highlights employment and decent work opportunities as important factors when considering youth migration.
Telephone Research Can Ask Why Young Professionals Want to Leave
Brain drain is often discussed through migration numbers, but numbers cannot always explain the personal decision behind them.
A young technology professional may want access to international projects. A healthcare worker may be looking for better working conditions. A researcher may want stronger funding and facilities. An entrepreneur may need better access to capital. Another professional may simply want a clearer path to career progression.
These differences matter because young professionals are not a single group with one reason for considering migration, their decisions can be influenced by income, opportunity, professional development, working conditions and their expectations for the future.
Through telephone research, organisations can ask these questions directly. What would make you consider working abroad? Would better opportunities locally influence your decision? Is salary your biggest concern, or is career growth more important? Would access to international remote work reduce your desire to migrate?
These questions can turn the broad idea of brain drain into measurable insight about what young professionals actually value.
What Are Young African Professionals Really Looking For?
It is easy to assume that people leave because they want higher salaries. Money matters, but it may only be one part of the decision.
A professional may be willing to accept a different salary if there is a strong opportunity for career development. Another may prioritise professional recognition, access to training or the chance to work on international projects. For someone else, better working conditions or a clearer path to promotion may be the deciding factor.
Understanding these differences can help employers and organisations better understand what attracts and retains skilled talent. The AU-ILO Youth Employment Strategy for Africa places productive and decent employment opportunities at the centre of efforts to improve outcomes for young people across the continent.
The important question is therefore not only how many young people want to leave, but what they are looking for that they may not currently see at home.
Could Remote Work Change Africa's Brain Drain?
There is another question worth asking: do young professionals necessarily need to leave Africa to access international opportunities?
Remote work has changed the relationship between location and employment. A professional in Lagos can work for a company in London. Someone in Nairobi can serve clients in another continent. A developer in Accra can contribute to an international product team without relocating.
But whether remote international employment actually reduces migration intentions is something that needs to be measured rather than assumed.
Telephone research can explore whether young professionals would prefer to remain in their home countries if they had access to international salaries, career development and global work opportunities. It can also reveal which barriers still make relocation attractive even when remote opportunities exist.
The Question Is Why They Want to Leave
Brain drain is often described as the movement of skilled people away from their home countries. But understanding the issue requires looking beyond the number of people who leave.
Are young professionals dissatisfied with salaries? Are they struggling to find jobs that match their skills? Do they see limited career progression? Are they looking for better professional environments? Or do they simply believe their ambitions can be achieved more easily somewhere else?
These are questions that migration statistics alone cannot answer.
Through telephone surveys and CATI research, organisations can speak directly with young professionals across African markets, measure their aspirations and understand the factors influencing their career decisions.
What Telephone Research Can Reveal About Talent
A well-designed telephone survey can go beyond asking whether someone intends to migrate. It can explore what would change that decision.
Would higher salaries make them stay? Would better career progression matter more? Would access to international projects change their plans? Would stronger professional networks, training opportunities or better working conditions influence their decision? And if someone has already left, what would encourage them to return?
These questions can provide employers, researchers and organisations with a clearer picture of how young professionals perceive the opportunities available to them.
This is particularly important because Africa's young workforce represents a major economic opportunity. The challenge is not simply creating jobs, but understanding whether those opportunities align with what young people need, expect and aspire to achieve.
From Migration Numbers to Human Insight
Migration statistics can tell us how many people have moved, where they are going and sometimes who is moving. But they cannot fully explain what someone was thinking before making that decision.
That is where telephone research can add another layer of understanding. By speaking directly with young professionals, researchers can explore the motivations, expectations and concerns behind migration intentions.
For businesses, this insight can support workforce planning and talent strategies. For researchers, it can provide a clearer understanding of youth aspirations. For organisations working on employment programmes, it can help identify the issues young professionals consider most important when evaluating their futures.
The goal is not simply to measure how many people want to leave. It is to understand what is happening before that decision is made.
The Question Is: What Would Make Them Stay?
Africa's youth employment challenge is also a question about opportunity. When millions of young people enter the labour market each year, understanding what they expect from work becomes increasingly important.
Sometimes, understanding brain drain does not begin with asking, “How many people left?”
It begins with asking: “What would make you stay?”
At CATI Africa, telephone research helps organisations turn questions like these into structured insights by speaking directly with respondents across African markets. Sometimes, to understand why a generation is looking abroad, you simply have to call and ask.
Want to understand what young professionals and other consumers are saying in your market? Contact CATI Africa to discuss your telephone survey and research needs.
