MacroPolis

Greece says it is entering a new era of “brain regain”. Government programmes like Rebrain Greece are touring European capitals, employers are hiring, and the economy is finally growing again. But is the tide really turning?

In this episode of The Agora, host Nick Malkoutzis digs into the data behind Greece’s talent flows, and finds a far more complicated picture. While official narratives highlight return migration, European surveys show the number of Greeks abroad is still rising, especially among university graduates. And the deeper, structural drivers of the brain drain remain stubbornly in place.

To make sense of it all, we speak with Dr Elli Siapkidou, a UK‑based researcher who attended the recent Rebrain Greece event in London. She offers a first‑hand view of what these initiatives can achieve, and what they cannot.

Is Greece truly reversing the brain drain, or simply reframing it? And what would real, evidence‑based “brain regain” actually require?