"Brain drain refers to circumstances in which highly trained experts from underdeveloped and overexploited countries migrate to wealthier international job markets. Such loss of human capital can be catastrophic for a nation's development, as a shortage of trained workers tends to strain critical sectors like healthcare and education. Now the United States government - which once fielded as many as 281,000 scientists and engineers - is experiencing a similar phenomenon."
"According to Science magazine, federal agencies have lost some 10,109 doctoral-level experts in STEM and health fields over the last year. Though the experts only make up 3 percent of the over 335,000 federal workers who've left federal positions in 2025, they account for 14 percent of the STEM PhDs employed by the government at the end of 2024."
Federal agencies lost about 10,109 doctoral-level experts in STEM and health fields over the last year, representing a substantial exodus of specialized expertise. Those experts comprised roughly 3 percent of more than 335,000 federal workers who left in 2025 but made up 14 percent of STEM PhDs employed by the government at the end of 2024. The departures reduce capacity in public health, environmental protection, and scientific research and threaten long-term institutional capabilities. At the National Science Foundation, PhDs accounted for 40 percent of the workforce prior to the Trump administration's takeover. Reductions of force were not the dominant cause; at the CDC only 16 percent of departures occurred under reductions.
Read at Futurism
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