Migration in Cuba is often analyzed through demographic statistics or from the emotional impact of separated families. However, there is a qualitative dimension that is deeply affecting daily life in Holguin. That barely receives the attention it deserves: the mass exodus of technical and service talent. We are running out of the hands that make the real world function.
This is not just about the legitimate aspiration of a university graduate seeking other horizons. We are talking about a structural void in vital trades. Finding a good plumber, a reliable electrician, a precise lathe operator. Or a qualified refrigeration technician in our city today has become an urban archaeology endeavor. Even in the public sector, areas as sensitive as nursing or technical maintenance services suffer a constant hemorrhage of experienced personnel.
Practical knowledge is not acquired overnight in a classroom. It is inherited, honed through years of practice, and passed down from master to apprentice. When that knowledge emigrates, the thread of generational succession is broken.
The consequences of the exodus in Holguin are already evident. We are witnessing a worrying “culture of improvisation” and amateurish repairs. Also where the average citizen ends up paying astronomical sums for poorly executed work due to the lack of qualified competitors. State-owned enterprises and new economic players are vying for the few remaining technicians. Driving up prices that, ultimately, are borne by the average Holguin resident.
Meanwhile, the province’s vocational schools and technological institutes struggle to maintain their appeal to a youth that sees technical effort. As devalued compared to the immediate income from informal commerce or the basic services sector. What real incentive does a teenager have today to spend years mastering industrial electricity or automotive mechanics if the future doesn’t guarantee prosperity?
The modernization of the province, the much-touted digital transition. And territorial development plans will be mere slogans on paper if there’s no one to uphold them on the ground. Computers need stable electrical grids, hospitals require operational air conditioning systems. Homes demand functional water systems. Ideas need hands.
Furthermore the question hangs in the air of our parks and workshops. If technical talent continues packing its bags and vocational schools continue emptying, who will remain to repair, maintain, and sustain the daily life of this province? The future isn’t just designed. It’s also built with our hands. And right now, we’re running out of mechanics for tomorrow.
By: Alvaro Raúl Suárez Leyva
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