INSEAD’s Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2025 assesses the ability of 135 countries to develop, attract and retain talent. This report provides a detailed overview of talent challenges, such as the shortage of technical profiles or the strength of the workforce in investment destinations.
The report, statistically audited by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, can be crucial for strategic expansion and talent management decisions in international markets.
Below, we present an analysis in which we have selected the most relevant indicators for the industry, highlighting the best performing countries within each region.
This is a pillar that measures the quality and productivity of the talent generated in a country. It is the most direct metric for assessing the ability of the workforce to perform technical and vocational jobs. A high ranking indicates an adequate labor pool for factories and industrial operations.
Region | Top Scoring Countries |
Europa | Switzerland (3rd), Finland (6th), Denmark (7th), Norway (9th). |
East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania | Singapore (13th), Australia (24th), South Korea (22nd), Japan (23rd). |
North America | United States (2nd), Canada (30th). |
North Africa and West Asia | Israel (16th), Cyprus (21st), Saudi Arabia (34th), Bahrain (48th). |
Latin America and the Caribbean | Chile (41st), Costa Rica (63rd), Uruguay (71st). |
Central and South Asia | Uzbekistan (28th), Tajikistan (49th), Sri Lanka (52nd), India (56th). |
Sub-Saharan Africa | Seychelles (49th), Mauritius (60th). |
A component of the VT Skills pillar, it measures the technical talent base, including the proportion of the workforce with secondary education, which is essential for semi-skilled and skilled production positions.
Region | Top Scoring Countries |
Europa | Slovenia (2nd), Belgium (3rd), Switzerland (4th), Czech Republic (5th). |
East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania | Singapore (1st), Japan (12th), Korea, Rep. (23rd), Australia (29th). |
North America | United States (6th). |
North Africa and West Asia | Israel (13th), Cyprus (15th), Saudi Arabia (26th), United Arab Emirates (27th). |
Latin America and the Caribbean | Chile (38th), Uruguay (74th), Costa Rica (76th). |
Central and South Asia | Tajikistan (60th), Sri Lanka (80th), Uzbekistan (82nd), Kazakhstan (84th). |
Sub-Saharan Africa | Seychelles (45th), Mauritius (57th), South Africa (83rd). |
Measures the density of technical professionals in the labor market. This is the most specific indicator to measure the stock of mid-level technical personnel that factories will need.
The ranking of this indicator is less comprehensive in high-income country profiles, but is based on the highest score available in the sources.
Region | Top Scoring Countries |
Europa | Slovenia (4th), Belgium (5th), Croatia (8th), Bulgaria (11th). |
Latin America and the Caribbean | Bolivia (1st) (Note: This indicates a high vocational enrollment rate, although other quality indicators may be low), Honduras (7th). |
East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania | Thailand (55th), Japan (65th) (Singapore and Australia have no data available/applicable at source). |
Sub-Saharan Africa | Angola (30th). |
Measures regulatory restrictions on Foreign Direct Investment. Its importance is paramount for international investment decisions, since a low ranking (few restrictions) means an easier environment to establish and operate factories.
The source does not provide a table of global rankings for this indicator, so the countries cited for their good performance in External Openness and FDI are indicated.
Region | Leading Countries |
North Africa and West Asia | Arab Emirates and Qatar. Both countries exhibit exceptional levels of External Openness, which drives their high capacity to attract global talent. |
Central and South Asia | Kazakhstan (35th). It is specifically mentioned that Kazakhstan has comparatively good results in FDI Restrictiveness. |
This is an indicator based on executive opinion surveys. It responds directly to the issue of
Region | Top Scoring Countries |
Europa | Iceland (1st), Sweden (8th), Denmark (13th), Netherlands (14th). |
North America | Canada (21st), United States (52nd). |
East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania | China (28th), South Korea (41st), Japan (48th). |
North Africa and West Asia | Georgia (16th), Saudi Arabia (35th), Israel (66th). |
Latin America and the Caribbean | Uruguay (39th), Chile (68th), Panama (72nd). |
Sub-Saharan Africa | Mauritius (51st), Seychelles (73rd), Namibia (101st), Ghana (103rd). |
Central and South Asia | Kazakhstan (81st), Uzbekistan (82nd), Sri Lanka (94th), India (100th). |
INSEAD. Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2025: Talent and Resilience: Navigating an Era of Disruption