IMD World Talent Ranking 2020

Preface

How do different economies invest and develop their local talent? How do countries appeal to the international talent pool as well as retaining their own high-skilled work force? And how do economies measure the quality of the skills and competences that are available?

These are the questions that the IMD World Talent Ranking addresses. We are delighted to present the seventh edition of this publication.

The latest ranking suggests that most economies that perform well focus their talent development efforts in every stage of the educational process. From primary education to tertiary, to apprenticeships and continuous work training, enhancing the skills and competencies of the work force is important. The top performing economies are open to both people and ideas. Finally, in the difficult times of social distancing and working from home, keeping the employees motivated contributes to the talent competitiveness of an economy. An undertaking like the IMD World Talent Ranking could not have been accomplished without the support and assistance of many stakeholders. Our Partner Institutes , the IMD Alumni community and our Panel of Experts from all the countries generously offer data and insights that are crucial for completing such a project. We are always most grateful for their support. Yet, as we stressed in all our publications, this year, our stakeholders managed to make us feel that it was business as usual and not a uniquely complicated and difficult environment. The reason you have this publication in your hands now is, for a great part, because of our stakeholders. We are humbled and thankful!

Professor Arturo Bris Director IMD World Competitiveness Center

Dr Christos Cabolis Chief Economist & Head of Operations IMD World Competitiveness Center

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IMD WORLD TALENT RANKING 2020