The Netherlands is a Top Ten Country for Talent Competitiveness
The country ranks 6th in Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2022
The Netherlands is again one of the world’s best countries for talent competitiveness. The annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2022 (GTCI 2022) ranks the Netherlands 6th. In fact, the country holds steady in that spot since 2020.
Known for top talent, the Netherlands creates fertile ground to strengthen knowledge and skills between workforce, industry and academia.
The Netherlands nurtures talent
The Netherlands excels at growing talent, and the world is taking notice. The GTCI includes four input indicators (Enable, Attract, Grow and Retain). Notably, the report shows that the Netherlands is a leader in the Grow indicator, ranked third globally. The GTCI Country Report on the Netherlands notes: “The Netherlands features in the top 3 when it comes to growing (3rd) talent, thanks to excellent access to growth opportunities (3rd), its world-class formal education (6th) and lifelong learning (7th)”.
This ability to grow talent includes top ten rankings for the Netherlands in the Enable and Retain indicators. The Enable pillar measures GDP per capita, internet speed (connectivity) and unemployment rate. The Retain pillar measures safety, environmental quality, traffic travel times (commute) and overall happiness. For both pillars, the Netherlands ranked 7th globally.
Case in point, the Netherlands ranks the highest among European countries for digital skills according to Eurostat. The Dutch knowledge of English as a second language is also top in the world on the EF English proficiency index.
World-class cities for talent competitiveness
Cities are critical sources of innovation and economies of scale. The GTCI notes that cities, especially those with a focus on diversity and openness, remain strong advantages for talent competitiveness. Of the 175 major cities measured in the index, four are from the Netherlands. All Dutch cities ranked in the top two quartiles of the index. Amsterdam ranked 11th, Eindhoven ranked 33rd, The Hague ranked 44th and Rotterdam ranked 51st.
One of the distinguishing features of the top performers in both the city rankings and the country rankings is that they tend to perform well in several talent dimensions. This includes global knowledge skills, which is a pillar that measures population with secondary education, patent applications, airport connectivity and software development.
The future is talent focused
Overall, the top 15 performers are not only the most talent-competitive countries; they also dominate all key dimensions of the GTCI. Annually, the Netherlands has continued to rise in rankings for talent competitiveness, moving from 11th (2015) to 6th (2022).
In fact, the Netherlands is not only focused on nurturing talent, but on being a global leader in sustainability and having an open business environment. The country benefits from a strong focus on sustainability (ranked 6th globally) and strong business and labor landscape (ranked 5th globally). In the Netherlands, government, industry, knowledge institutions, and other parties work together to achieve a sustainable economy.
Companies that choose to invest in Holland have access to a highly educated and skilled international and multilingual workforce. The Netherlands’ vast industry hotspots are hubs for talent. For businesses seeking a highly skilled talent pool, the Netherlands is the internationally competitive location of choice. Connect to trailblazers and innovators here, who are working on future solutions for global challenges.
About the Global Talent Competitive Index
GTCI is compiled by the international business school INSEAD, together with the Human Capital Leadership Institute and Portulans Institute. It is an annual benchmarking report that measures and ranks countries based on their ability to grow, attract, and retain talent. Launched for the first time in 2014, the GTCI provides a wealth of data and analysis used as a reference of choice by governments, business, and talent experts around the world.
14 November 2022