FRESH calls to attract exiled Scots throughout the world back to the country have been made today.
The SNP is launching moves to reach out to Scotland's diaspora.
The ancient Greek term, originally referring to Jewish populations exiled from Judea and Jerusalem, is being used by the party to target the 1.5 million people they say have left Scotland since 1980.
The approach is a departure from the Scottish Executive's flagship Fresh Talent Initiative which aims to address Scotland's population decline through skilled migration.
The Nationalists say fewer than 600 people have successfully applied for the scheme since its June launch, while an estimated 70,000 are leaving Scotland annually. SNP shadow justice minister Kenny MacAskill today publishes a new paper detailing the negative impact of emigration and outlining the case for a strategy targeting expats.
He said: "Our message to the Scottish diaspora this new year should be to come home to Scotland.
"Our skills shortage and our demographic timebomb mean that bringing our own folk home is essential. While we must do what we can to make Scotland a welcoming place for those wishing to come here to work, we should not forget that many Scots have left our shores to pursue a better economic future."
Scotland's population will drop below the symbolic five million mark by the end of this decade and below 4.5 million by 2041, a drop of 10percent.
The party points to the example of Ireland, which attracted 280,000 newworkers in four years through targeting its own expat communities.
Mr MacAskill is calling for a "direct pitch" to particular groups of expats.
He said: "It's not so much the successful Scottish expat in Canada who has put down firm roots in foreign communities who we need to target, but the bus driver in Manchester and the oil workers in the Gulf.
"These groups of workers . . . have not been presented with the opportunities to stay and work at home.
"We should be setting out a specific plan to provide the support needed to bring these workers home."
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