Professional trajectories of the qualified Mexican diaspora

Abstract

This paper seeks to reconstruct migratory, academic and labor trajectories of Mexican postgraduates living abroad that belong to the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (National System of Researchers). In order to contrast both academic and labor reasons of migration, three categories are taken into account in the analysis: study area, country of doctoral studies and sex. Methodology used for reconstructing trajectories is mixed: with a quantitative approach, since the information comes from the “Survey for Mexican talents residing abroad”; and, with a qualitative approach, since curriculum vitae of a subsample of these researchers is analyzed. Results show that study migration takes place at ages less than 30 years-old and postdoctoral stays above this age; experiencing the educational and research system in the country of destination allows for more continuous academic trajectories. Migrations cannot be attributed to just one or another reason exclusively.