If countries were a magnet, then it is Switzerland that exerts the greatest pull to attract skilled workers. The Swiss economy tops the ranking of the Swiss business school IMD World Talent Ranking, which was released yesterday Wednesday.
Switzerland continues to be the best economy in attracting and retaining talent for the sixth consecutive year, followed by Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Denmark, in the top 5. Europe dominates in this category, which assesses competitive factors related to the labor market rather than capital flows or foreign investment.
The list, which includes more than 60 countries, is an attempt to measure what in English is called "brain drain", that is, the brain drain. To this end, three essential criteria are evaluated.
On the one hand, investment and development in the quality of the education and training system. On the other hand, the attractiveness in fiscal terms and of remuneration and quality of life. And finally, it estimates the preparation of the labor force and its different competencies.
The Swiss economy can count on a system that allows for the effective implementation of apprenticeships and the availability of a highly financially literate labor force. Switzerland also leads the ranking of global competitiveness, in addition to having in practice full employment with hardly any unemployment and a good quality of public services.
At a time when, after the pandemic, with the development of teleworking and the rise of digital nomads, states compete to welcome these highly-skilled workers, Spain remains stuck in 32nd place. Despite the efforts to position the Spanish digital ecosystem As one of the leading places for start-ups and qualified professionals (in this sense we can mention the recent startup law approved by Congress), the reality is that our country is again below its neighbors Portugal and France , both several positions above compared to the last edition.
Among the strengths for international talent to choose to settle in Spain, the report highlights the effectiveness of healthcare infrastructures, the high percentage of the female workforce out of the total workforce and quality of life.
Instead, as pending issues, the fact that employee training is not among the priorities of companies, the lack of motivation of workers, obstacles to improve language skills and weak international experience of senior managers.
"In the case of Spain, tax rules weigh heavily, which are unattractive for workers who earn income abroad," says IMD professor Arturo Bris, one of the authors. “In terms of demotivation, this ends up having consequences, because not only are qualified talent not retained, such as engineers or doctors who leave abroad, while what is attracted are less productive employees for the service or hospitality sector. In this sense, Spain is a net exporter of talent”, points out Bris.
