Switzerland, a leader in retaining talent, topped this year’s ranking, followed by Singapore and the U.S. 

Nordic countries also fared well, with Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden taking spots 4-7, respectively. Ranking just above Luxembourg are the Netherlands (8) and the UK (9).

According to Insead, the study covers 93% of the population. In it, countries are ranked in six categories, four based on input, two on output.

Within the input sub-index are the categories enable, reflecting the regulatory and business environment which fosters talent, as well as how countries attract, grow and retain talent.

In the output sub-index, there are two categories for describing how a country is doing in terms of vocational & technical skills (VT skills) and global knowledge skills (GK skills). The following graph shows how the top 10 countries ranked on each of these pillars.

Attracting, retaining global talent

Luxembourg’s overall score was 71.18--a slight drop since 2018 (71.64) but still higher than in 2017 (68.66). It did particularly well in the category of attract, ranking second, just behind Singapore. This category combines external openness and internal openness, in which the grand duchy sealed 3rd and 8th ranking, respectively.

However, it needs notable improvement in the formal education category, where it came in 55th, and in VT skills (32nd).

Despite these setbacks, the grand duchy ranks 8th at retaining domestic talent and can boast of excellent GK skills (9th).

About the study

The study, now in its sixth edition, addresses global competitiveness and entrepreneurial talent in the digital transformation era. It is achieved jointly by InseadAdeccoTata Communications.

For a full listing of countries, visit the GTCI study website.