The new economy, the concept that is making waves beyond the Atlantic and through which theoreticians are trying to explain why the US economy continues to stand upright, is felt in Romania only through the waves of brains of IT experts who are trying to leave the country.
Giant companies such as Silicon Valley, with market values of dozens of billions of dollars, are sending their headhunters here to seduce the minds of Romanians with beautiful perspectives including jobs of several thousands of dollars per year, villas with pools and personal cars. In line with estimations issued by Cisco, the world leader in computer networks, by 2002 there will be a deficit of 600,000 IT experts in Western Europe and of several hundred thousand in the United States.
The phenomenon itself, at a global level, needs not be worrying, as it accounts for a mere resource reallocation. Instead of the natural way, that is the labour capital going towards the human capital, this is the reverse way, that is sharp minds are heading for companies looking for them.
The phenomenon is not worth worrying about in the case of Romania, either. Though there are now a lot of alarmist voices saying the country will be left without IT brains, etc., etc., the situation will not change. It is predictable that, in time, an increasingly larger part of those who left should come back, with money in stock, but also with high claims.
They will exert higher pressure for changes to occur than any reformist party. They will have the money and wish for power. And they will have money derived by fair means, and not from traffic of influence or various deals with the state, the main means of getting good money in Romania at present.
Ahead of 1989, the smartest or the bravest used to go West, too. But current circumstances are entirely different. What makes leaving easier, that is world computer networks, makes coming back easier, too, or in some cases, it makes it easier to retain some business links inside the country.
Many of the young people leaving say they intend to stay there for five-ten years, make money and then come back. Ahead of 1989, you couldn’t build up a bigger house or buy an expensive car because the party eyed you. Now, one can compete with the former nomenclature, disguised among various parties, which has finally brought its wealth to the surface.
The signs of this return are manifest. And neither the Government, nor any other institution need do anything about it. It is enough that there are the large multinational companies that offer at least 1,000 dollars per month for any MBA abroad who wants to make business here. The more, the merrier. To be sure, there are people wondering why shouldn’t they earn 5,000 dollars in America or any other part of the world. Or that a certain minority is still stifling in Romania, and that unless you enter political games you have no chance to make it on your own.
But, in line with some management principles, although having primary needs such as food, shelter or security, men feel the need that their work must be appreciated by the others. And for the largest part of Romanians it is normal, perhaps, that this should happen inside their native country.
Eventually, a country’s welfare is the welfare of its inhabitants, wherever they may be. Because Romania surely does not include only drowsing MPs or the incompetent staff within ministries. There are those who manage to achieve something in this world and who take in the fact that they were born here, that they like stew, a joke with Bula or a fairy tale about Harap Alb.