For those of us who were born and brought up in Wales and then left to pursue our studies or start a new job, the sense of ‘hiraeth’ is something we have all experienced at one time or another.
However, that yearning for our homeland can also be a powerful way to get the Welsh diaspora – those individuals with Welsh heritage residing outside Wales – to make a significant contribution to the economic development of Wales. By harnessing the unique strengths and connections of this global community, Wales can tap into a wealth of opportunities for growth and innovation.
But what do we know about the Welsh diaspora? That is the question that Global Welsh, which is creating a global community for Welsh people and friends of Wales, is attempting to answer.
Working with academic Professor Sarah Louisa Birchley, it is looking to determine the size and composition of the Welsh diaspora globally, why they leave, and on what basis they would consider returning. It will also examine what the diaspora believes are the barriers to returning and what happened to those who have returned home.
Why is this research important? We know anecdotally that some members of the Welsh diaspora seek to invest in their homeland, motivated by both financial returns and a desire to contribute to their roots.
Encouraging more of the Welsh diaspora to invest in local start-ups, real estate, and infrastructure projects can stimulate economic activity, create jobs, and enhance productivity.
Indeed, by establishing businesses in Wales, they can create jobs, drive economic diversification, and inspire local entrepreneurs to pursue innovative ventures.
Also, creating networks that connect diaspora members with Welsh innovators and entrepreneurs can facilitate the exchange of ideas and resources. These networks can serve as platforms for collaboration, funding, and mentorship, accelerating the growth of Wales’s fledgling start-up ecosystem.
They can also act as ambassadors for Welsh products and services, promoting trade links between Wales and their countries of residence.
By leveraging their networks and understanding of both markets, diaspora members can identify export opportunities and reduce trade barriers for Welsh businesses. In many cases, the diaspora’s experience of the countries they now live and work in can open the right doors and, through local knowledge of consumer preferences, regulatory environments, and business practices, help businesses to expand into new markets.
Diaspora members can also engage in efforts to build strong relationships between Wales and other nations by participating in trade missions, cultural events, and international forums, thereby promoting Wales’s interests on the global stage.
Another way that the Welsh diaspora can contribute to raising the land of song is by serving as cultural ambassadors and promoting Wales’s rich heritage globally. This can enhance Wales’s international profile, attract tourists, and create new markets for Welsh products in the creative and cultural industries.
Diaspora members can also play a significant role in promoting Wales as a tourist destination and encouraging their networks to visit Wales. For those working in higher education, promoting collaboration between Welsh universities and academic institutions abroad where diaspora members are present can lead to joint research projects, academic exchanges, and innovation.
However, can the diaspora be persuaded to return? Much has been written about the ‘brain drain’ and the challenges faced by many countries through the loss of talent and its negative effects on economic performance.
This challenge is especially acute for smaller and economically poorer countries such as Wales, which often lack the career opportunities that ambitious people aspire to. In fact, it is not surprising that many have travelled to London and its environs to seek new opportunities, with an estimated 400,000 members of the Welsh diaspora living in the south-east of England.
Getting them to come back may not be that easy, and as Professor Birchley’s own research studies suggest, those who leave Wales rarely return in later years. However, those who do tend to have a disproportionately positive impact on the economy. Given this, the development of a programme to encourage the diaspora to come back could well be justified and provide a significant return on investment, although this must be a long-term project.
In fact, promoting greater links with the Welsh diaspora can help address the current view from some that Wales doesn’t have a clear enough global identity and loses out to other regions of the UK from an inward investment point of view. Indeed, the latest data showed that Wales only attracted 2% of new foreign direct investment projects into the UK, compared to the 21% it attracted when the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) was promoting the nation across the world.
Whilst we may never go back to the success of the days of the WDA, it could be argued that the best way to boost Wales’s share of economic opportunities that the UK attracts is to consider how the (upwards of) three million Welsh diaspora can act as global advocates to sell Wales to the world and thus help build a global identity for Wales as an attractive place to work, live, and play.
And as all of us living in or outside Wales know at least one Welsh person living outside the borders of Wales, the ask from Global Welsh is to ask them to complete their survey so that a proper understanding of what the diaspora can contribute to the economic development of Wales can be obtained.
Most importantly, we can leverage the financial, social, and intellectual capital of this global community to unlock new opportunities for growth and prosperity.
