The UAE leads the Arab world and 21st internationally in the IMD World Talent Ranking, moving up two places since 2021. Saudi Arabia was ranked 30th, Qatar 34th, and Bahrain 35th.

The WTR report gauged 63 countries based on investment and development, which considers the domestic resources committed to cultivating home-grown talent; appeal, which evaluates the ability to attract and retain talent from international and domestic markets; and readiness, which quantifies the quality of available skills and competencies in the talent pool.

According to the ranking, the UAE has been deemed one of the best countries in terms of readiness to meet the labor market’s needs for significant skills and expertise by creating a business-friendly environment.

In addition to its overall improvement in the study, the UAE has achieved a position among the top 10 nations in nine indices, with the preparedness factor experiencing substantial progress, ranking 7th globally and first in the Middle East and North Africa.

For the sixth consecutive year, Switzerland leads the 63 economies in attracting and keeping talent. It was followed by Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, according to the index by the World Competitiveness Centre (WCC).

Finland ranked sixth for attracting top talent in 2022, Luxembourg dropped to seventh place, and Austria slipped to eighth. The Netherlands and Germany remain ninth and 10th, respectively.