Singapore top in Asia-Pacific for talent competitiveness: study

SINGAPORE ranked first in the Asia-Pacific for the fourth year running in a global index on talent competitiveness, trumping Australia.

The island republic placed second globally among more than 100 countries.

This was announced by the annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), published by business school INSEAD, with human resources firm Adecco and the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI) in a joint press release on Monday.

As in the previous year, Switzerland took the top spot globally.

Britain came in third after Singapore, and the United States placed fourth.

The high-ranking countries were found to share key traits - including educational systems that meet the needs of the economy; employment policies that favour flexibility; mobility and entrepreneurship; and high connectedness of stakeholders in business and government.

The GTCI measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent - providing a resource for decision makers to develop strategies for boosting their talent competitiveness.

The theme of this fourth edition is Talent and Technology: Shaping the Future of Work. It explored the effects of technological change on talent competitiveness, arguing that while jobs at all levels continue to be replaced by machines, technology is also creating new opportunities.

Commenting on the results, dean of INSEAD Ilian Mihov said: "By focusing on 'technology and talent', this year's report points at some of the most challenging issues that the world economy will face in the coming years, having to combine the creation of new job opportunities and sustainable growth, while offering new generations the possibility to live and work in a world that reflects the values they believe in."

"As the report underlines, the role of education will remain fundamental to reach this complex set of goals. This is a quest in which INSEAD intends to fully play its role as a provider of talent and leadership," he added.