Switzerland, Singapore and Denmark are the most talent competitive countries, according to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2022. Switzerland and Singapore firmly retain their leading position while Denmark makes it into the top 3.
United States ranks 4th, and many European economies continue to dominate – Sweden (5th), Netherlands (6th), Norway (7th), Finland (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). France (19th), managed to retain its spot from last year (its highest position ever). The non-European countries which rank among the Top 25 are Australia (9th), Canada (15th), New Zealand (18th), Israel (23rd), Japan (24th) and the United Arab Emirates (25th).
Titled “The Tectonics of Talent: Is the World Drifting Towards More Talent Inequalities?”, the GTCI 2022 is published by INSEAD, in collaboration with Portulans Institute and the Human Capital Leadership Institute, and launched during the school’s SDG week.
The 9th edition of the report covers 133 countries and 175 cities from 79 economies around the world across all income groups.It is a comprehensive annual benchmarking report that measures how countries and cities grow, attract and retain talent. It provides a unique resource for decision makers to understand the global talent competitiveness picture and develop strategies to boost their economies.
Key messages:
Felipe Monteiro, Co-author of the report, Academic Director of the GTCI and INSEAD Senior Affiliate Professor of Strategy, said: “After COVID, the world is once again facing unprecedented challenges of economic and geopolitical crises. Government, business and talent are feeling the negative compounded effects of financial, food and energy shocks, particularly impacting the poor and emerging economies. This will likely elevate the level of inequalities on the global talent scene and hinder the progress in achieving key SDG targets.” He added, “Swift actions are urgently required to reduce talent inequalities. Governments and organisations should champion economic and education reforms to allow young generations to contribute through higher levels of entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity.”
Bruno Lanvin, Co-author of the report, Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD and Co-Founder of Portulans Institute, commented: “In the global competition for talents, cities continue to move faster than most nation states. This year’s GCTCI champions include Singapore and San Francisco, two cities that have successfully combined high-performance online services for their citizens with sustainable strategies. Other cities have adopted innovative talent strategies by making good use of their comparative advantages, like Dubai, which combines its global transport advantage and advanced medical services into a medical-tourism proposition. Many top performing cities align their resources with what they see as the future of work: they offer shared working spaces and collaboration opportunities for free agents, gig-workers, and digital nomads, to whom special e-residency permits are offered (Singapore, Tallinn, Quito).
He also stressed that “Gender inequalities call for renewed and accelerated efforts, as they have been broadening again since the start of the COVID crisis. Providing girls with equal opportunities to access school, and women with equal opportunities to access leading positions are now two critically important ways to reduce talent inequalities”.
The World's Most Talent Competitive Countries, 2022
Doris Sohmen-Pao, Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI), the Knowledge partner of the GTCI this year, said, “Asia presents a paradox: it is home to more than 60% of the world’s population and is a key driver of the world economy, yet it lags in talent competitiveness. In order to drive recovery and accelerate growth in a sustainable and holistic manner, there is need for a more coordinated and collaborative approach between public and private sectors.”
Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2022 – Top 20 Ranking
Rank | Country | Rank | Country |
1 | Switzerland | 11 | Luxembourg |
2 | Singapore | 12 | Iceland |
3 | Denmark | 13 | Ireland |
4 | United States | 14 | Germany |
5 | Sweden | 15 | Canada |
6 | Netherlands | 16 | Belgium |
7 | Norway | 17 | Austria |
8 | Finland | 18 | New Zealand |
9 | Australia | 19 | France |
10 | United Kingdom | 20 | Estonia |
Cities can play a central role in reducing inequalities by adopting the right talent policies. There is a growing number of medium-sized cities aiming to combine talent and investment attraction strategies while pursuing key SDG targets. These cities, as well as talent hubs (cities that grant priority to growing, attracting, and retaining talent) are prime examples for others to reduce talent inequalities, while being better equipped to face the future by having the right conditions to weather through turbulence caused by economic and political storms.
For the second consecutive year, San Francisco is the top-ranked city in the Global City Talent Competitiveness Index (GCTCI), followed by Boston and Zurich, both improved one position from last year. Singapore is the only Asian city to rank within the top 20.
Global City Talent Competitiveness Index (GCTCI) 2022 – Top 10 Ranking
Rank | City | Rank | City |
1 | San Francisco (US) | 6 | Singapore (Singapore) |
2 | Boston (US) | 7 | Geneva (Switzerland) |
3 | Zurich (Switzerland) | 8 | Helsinki (Finland) |
4 | Seattle (US) | 9 | Munich (Germany) |
5 | Lausanne (Switzerland) | 10 | Dublin (Ireland) |