A professor and former university head says action needs to be taken to ensure Wales benefits from its graduates.
A recent report by the Resolution Foundation shows the migration trends of university graduates and the different effects migration has on various regions of the UK. While Yorkshire and Humberside and the North East reflected the worst trends, Wales also suffers from a 'brain drain'.
Former Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University, Professor Sir Deian Hopkin, told BBC Radio Cymru there must be a joint effort by government and business to help Wales.
"This is a difficult circle to close, because the government should invest more and more in creating jobs that will attract and keep graduates in Wales," he says
"But if employers are not investing at the same time there's a restriction on government - they can't do that much."
The Resolution Foundation's Stephen Clarke says the brain drain should be concern but the data doesn't show the reasons why graduates in Wales were leaving.
"One thing that is perhaps also worth saying is there are other areas of the country that see this and it might not just be purely economic - there could be geographic and social reasons as well.
Although the causes might be unclear, the destinations are obvious. Professor Andrew Henley, an Economist who also served the First Minister in the Welsh Assembly says this is not just a problem for Wales, but across the UK and with the South East of England who benefits.
"To the extent we're losing graduates, which would be considered a brain drain. We are not unique across the UK and there are other examples across the UK - the South West of England for example," he told the BBC.
"'Where are they going?' They're going to the South East of England and not necessarily into the centre of London but certainly the Home Counties - where there seems to be lots of good jobs created."
Image Credit: Jeremy Segrott