The IMD World Talent Report is based on 20 years’ worth of competitiveness-related data, including an in-depth survey of more than 4,000 executives in the 61 countries covered by the study.
The research focuses on three main categories – investment/development, appeal and readiness – which in turn are derived from a much broader range of factors. The investment/development category looks at the resources committed to develop homegrown talent, for instance the apprenticeship system. The appeal is the ability to attract and retain talent, for example via a certain quality of life. Finally, the readiness consists in the quality of the available skills in the talent pool such as university education.
According to Professor Arturo Bris, Director of IMD’s World Competitiveness Center; “Pure economic power and talent do not always go hand-in-hand. The key attribute among all the countries that rank highly in our standings is agility, as shown in their capacity to shape policies that preserve their talent pipeline”.
Showing a great level of agility, Switzerland has managed to remain the most talent-competitive country in the world for almost a decade. Professor Arturo Bris thinks that other countries, including many of the world’s leading economic powers, would learn valuable lessons from understanding how the Swiss manage their talent pool.
For more information about talent in Switzerland, please refer to the chapter 12 of our Handbook for Investors; Education and Research.
