Recent economic and technological developments have led to a growing international demand for highly skilled human resources. The increased competition for human capital has determined numerous OECD countries to take special measures for attracting and retaining human capital in such fields as: information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, health care, etc. These measures have stimulated the emigration of highly skilled professionals, especially from less developed to more developed economies. In this international context, in the last decade, Romanian and other Eastern European people with an academic background have had a significant propensity towards emigration. This phenomenon is not surprising if one considers the limited (although increasing) number of attractive career opportunities in this region. Consequently, numerous scientists and other highly skilled individuals from Eastern Europe have been attracted by the United States, Canada and other Western countries, which have facilitated the access of certain categories of qualified foreigners. (Contains 5 tables, 3 figures, and 14 notes.)