Band 6+: In many countries, there is a growing shortage of doctors and teachers in rural areas. What are the causes of this problem, and what solutions can be suggested to attract professionals to work in the countryside ?

Never before has the rural areas faced such shortage of skilled professionals such as doctors and teachers. One of the prominent cause of this issue is gradually increasing migration to cities. Moreover, lack of infrastructure in rural communities is another reason for this shortage. To tackle this issue, not only should the government plan additional incentives for workers but also allocate excessive funding to develop facilities and infrastructure required to reside in these areas.

Relocating of young educated professionals to developed cities and towns in search of high paying jobs and better lifestyle is mainly causing shortage of workers in rural areas. Many individuals prefer to reside near their workplace in order to save their commute time and have healthy work life balance due to which they permanently relocate to city where they work. Secondly, the lack of infrastructure and facilities in rural areas promote the shortage as professionals fail to get the right environment to execute their skills such as lack of latest technology used in hospitals, smart computers used in schools to promote learning. For instance, Many young professionals from undeveloped areas such as Moga are moving to well developed cities such as Delhi to ease their lifestyle, leading to shortage of workers.

To tackle this daunting problem, governments should actively promote benefits of living and developing the rural areas. This can be done by providing tax subsidiaries for professionals who choose to work and reside in these towns. Moreover, spending more funds on developing the facilities and infrastructure such as public libraries, parks and community centres can help attract the youth and other professionals, resulting in fulfilling the labour market needs.

To conclude, the main cause of shortage of skilled workers in remote areas or rural communities is underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of job opportunities, due to which most professionals relocate. However, government can take actions such as giving more tax credits to residents of this area and developing the necessary infrastructure for the community.