European countries rank at top for retaining talent, survey finds

When it comes to producing and retaining talent, European countries rank at the very top, according to one recent survey.

Switzerland came out at No. 1, followed by Singapore and Denmark, according to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, which looks at nations’ ability to nurture and keep a talented workforce.

The top 10 includes only two countries outside of Europe, Singapore and the United States (which is ranked ninth). Other nations with the best talent pools include Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

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INSEAD, a business school that launched the study, said in a statement that highly ranked countries had many similar qualities.

“The top ranked nations all have many aspects in common, including a longstanding commitment” to quality education, history of immigration and a strategy to grow and retain the best minds, the statement said.

Bruno Lanvin, executive director for global indexes at INSTEAD, said that producing the right talent is especially crucial for the many countries facing historically high jobless rates for young people.

“Talent attractiveness is becoming the true currency by which countries, regions and cities compete with each other,” he said in a statement. “Youth unemployment has become a core issue in all types of countries, rich or poor, industrialized or emerging.”

The study compared 103 countries, scoring each nation with data that fell into six categories, including retaining talent, growing labor and vocational skills.

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