Rank 6: Australia Australia (6th) is one of the top countries in the Attract pillar (6th), the result of combining External Openness (8th) with good Internal Openness (11th), and in the Global Knowledge Skills pillar (5th). Formal Education (4th) is among the best in the world, although Lifelong Learning has room for improvement Vocational and Technical Skills (25th) could also improve. (Text: 2017 Global Talent Competitiveness Index) Image by Shutterstock.com
Rank 5: SwedenSweden (5th) performs consistently well across all six pillars (Enable, Attract, Grow, Retain, Vocational and Technical Skills, and Global Knowledge Skills), belonging to the top 15 in each of them. The country is a high performer in retaining talent (4th in the Retain pillar), Lifelong Learning (3rd), Vocational and Technical Skills (10th), and Global Knowledge Skills (11th). “Even though Sweden is not one of the top attractors of talent in terms of External Openness (28th) despite its Lifestyle advantages (3rd), it is a top country in terms of Internal Openness (2nd) with an exemplary Tolerance of minorities,” according to the GTCI report. Image by Shutterstock.com
Rank 4: United StatesThe United States leads on many pillars including Grow (ranked 2nd), Formal Education (2nd), Access to Growth Opportunities (3rd), Global Knowledge Skills (3rd), and Brain gain (6th). “One dimension that requires attention is the development of Vocational and Technical Skills (20th)—although labour productivity is high, the number of people who have the skills needed to be technicians is rather small given the size of the country,” the report says. Image by Shutterstock.com
Rank 3: United KingdomThe United Kingdom scores low for Vocational and Technical Skills (Ranked 33rd among 100 nations), but is rated high in Global Knowledge Skills (2nd). It is ranked 7th for its External Openness. “This is complemented by flexible labour markets and strong sustainability to retain talent. Internal Openness (23rd), by contrast, has room for improvement—particularly in the indicators related to gender equality, which are still lagging behind,” the GTCI report says. Image by Shutterstock.com
Rank 2: SingaporeSingapore leads the way in attracting and enabling its global talent pool, the GTCI report reveals. The island city-state "takes an ecosystem approach to talent development in the face of technological change. Its regular ‘learning journeys’, organised by the Ministry of Manpower, along with relevant agencies such as the Workforce Development Agency and the Infocomm Development Agency, aim to enlighten small businesses to new possibilities in automation to enhance productivity and reduce dependence on foreign labour," INSEAD adds. Image by Shutterstock.com
Rank 1: SwitzerlandSwitzerland has maintained its top position, even as other European countries continue to dominate the GTCI rankings, with 16 of them in the top 25. Switzerland excels at offering an ideal economic environment and retaining domestically-developed talent, according to INSEAD. Image by Shutterstock.com
