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Singapore Rises to the Top in Global Talent Competitiveness

In a stunning development, Singapore has overtaken Switzerland to secure the number one position in the latest Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), according to a report released by INSEAD. This marks a significant milestone for the Southeast Asian city-state, which has shown exceptional strength in developing a workforce primed for innovation in an era dominated by artificial intelligence.

This year's GTCI achievements are particularly noteworthy as Singapore becomes the first Asian nation to ascend to the top of this yearly ranking established in 2013. The index serves as a key reference point for evaluating labor markets, organizations, and talent flow across nations.

The GTCI report for 2025 centers around the theme of "Resilience in Times of Disruption," diving into how nations and economies can build systems that maintain talent viability amidst global challenges. The index evaluates 135 economies based on 77 indicators that encompass soft skills, talent concentration in AI, and various other dimensions such as enabling, attracting, developing, retaining technical skills, and general adaptability.

Felipe Monteiro, the academic director of GTCI and a strategy professor at INSEAD, commented, "Resilient talent transforms adversity into a catalyst for innovation, adaptability, and meaningful recovery. Resilience entails learning how to bounce forward, not just endure inevitable shocks and crises."

Lily Fang, the dean for research and innovation at INSEAD, emphasized that this year's report should not merely be seen as a competition among nations but as a thoughtful framework for leaders on integrating powerful technologies, like AI, into efforts for human advancement.

This year’s ranking marks the beginning of a new partnership between INSEAD and the Portulans Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Washington D.C. Rafael Escalona Reynoso, CEO of the Portulans Institute, stated, "This collaboration brings new depth and clarity to the GTCI at a time when rapid technological changes, geopolitical uncertainty, and profound societal transformations increase the demand for reliable talent metrics more than ever."

Strengths of Singapore

Singapore's top ranking reflects its ongoing commitment to evolving its education system and fostering an adaptable, innovation-oriented workforce. According to the GTCI report, Singapore excelled in the category of General Adaptive Skills, showcasing a workforce equipped with essential soft skills, digital literacy, and innovative thinking—precisely what is needed in today's rapidly changing environment. Additionally, Singapore climbed seven places to rank 31st for its ability to retain talent.

Paul Evans, an emeritus professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD and one of the report’s editors, remarked, "Economies that develop an adaptive, multi-skilled workforce proficient in artificial intelligence tend to be better positioned to turn labor market disruptions into opportunities and maintain long-term competitiveness."

The findings from this year highlight that talent competitiveness isn’t solely about income levels. It also involves strategic policy orientation, institutional quality, and effective human resource mobilization.

Top 20 GTCI 2025 Rankings

1. Singapore
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. Sweden
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. United States
10. Australia
11. Ireland
12. United Kingdom
13. Iceland
14. Canada
15. Belgium
16. Austria
17. Germany
18. New Zealand
19. France
20. Czech Republic

A Focus on Efficiency

A key takeaway from the 2025 GTCI study highlights that in the race for talent, economies that can convert investments into meaningful results hold a competitive advantage. Countries like Israel, alongside Singapore and South Korea, excelled with their ability to deliver better talent outcomes using fewer resources. Even among lower-middle-income nations like Tajikistan, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, there are promising foundations for talent development, with some low-income countries, including Rwanda, also demonstrating potential.

Evans notes, "Economies that align their education, labor, and innovation systems with adaptive talent development can achieve high performance even at low income levels."

Regional Insights

Regionally, Europe continues to dominate the GTCI ranking, with 18 of the top 25 positions occupied by major economies such as Germany (17th), France (19th), and the United Kingdom (12th). In Asia-Pacific, while Australia (10th) and New Zealand (18th) outperformed Singapore in talent retention, they lagged behind in overall adaptive skills. Notably, China's fall from 40th to 53rd position underscores a less favorable business environment and labor market, although data availability may have played a role in this decline.

North America's capability to nurture and deploy qualified talent across sectors results in strong positioning for the United States (9th) and Canada (14th), despite the U.S. slipping in its performance compared to 2023.

In North Africa and Western Asia, Israel leads at 23rd, with the UAE (25th) achieving the highest rate of talent attraction and skill development in the region, although it fell short in high-skill attributes.

Chile (39th) emerges as the leader in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Uruguay (42nd) and Costa Rica (44th). However, Brazil and Mexico, the region's two largest economies, failed to make it into the top 50.

Escalona Reynoso concludes, "Today, the most critical skills are those related to adaptability, collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, innovation under pressure, and navigation in rapidly changing, tech-driven environments. These skills increasingly define a country's competitiveness—and the GTCI now captures this reality more clearly than ever."

For more insights and media resources, explore the findings of GTCI 2025. The event commenced at 10 AM CET on November 26, 2025.