Singapore ranks first in Asia Pacific in talent competitiveness index

SINGAPORE — The Republic came out tops among Asia Pacific countries in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2015-16 for the third year running, while Pakistan came in last in the region.

The annual report, published by business school INSEAD together with the Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI), focuses on talent attraction and international mobility. Globally, Singapore ranked second after Switzerland.

The top three countries in the Asia Pacific region display an openness in attracting talent. For instance, close to 43 per cent of Singapore's population was born abroad. In New Zealand and Australia, which are ranked second and third regionally, about 17 per cent of their respective populations was born overseas.

The report also found that despite Singapore's high rankings, the Republic trails behind other economies in terms of tolerance to immigrants, empowerment of employees and increasing the pool of vocationally trained people.

HCLI chief executive Wong Su-Yen said: "Singapore's attractiveness as a talent hub has in recent years faced strong competition from its neighbouring countries, and that is likely to intensify when talent is completely mobile in this region (ASEAN)."

Policymakers can increase efforts to attract overseas citizens back, she added. "This group of talent would offer a distinct and important combination of overseas work experience and strong local knowledge."