Thailand fails to attract foreign talents

Unlike Singapore (2nd), Thailand (75th) is not an attractive country for skilled professionals who want to move abroad, according to INSEAD’s annual survey, or Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI).

Singapore is the only country in Asia to be in the top 10, and even among the top 20 highest-rated countries. Similarly, Singapore is the only city in Asia to rank in the top 20 cities best placed to welcome talent from abroad, while Bangkok is dragging in the 97th position.

Singapore (2nd) is the only Asian country in the top 10

• Switzerland, Singapore and Denmark rank Top 3; European countries dominate the Top 25; and China moves to 36th, becoming the most talent-competitive upper-middle-income country.
• The ‘great divergence’ between richer and poorer economies continues, and current signs indicate that it will likely grow in the coming years.
• War in Ukraine has exacerbated inequalities that existed post-COVID; the unequal global talent landscape significantly diminishes our collective ability to meet key SDG targets.
• Cities can play a central role in reducing inequalities by adopting the right talent policies.

The 9th edition of this report covers 133 countries and 175 cities in 79 countries around the world, across all income categories. It is a comprehensive annual benchmarking report that measures how countries and cities develop, attract and retain the most qualified people (talent).

“In the global competition for talents, cities continue to move faster than most nation states. This year’s GCTCI champions include Singapore and San Francisco, two cities that have successfully combined high-performance online services for their citizens with sustainable strategies.”

Bruno Lanvin, Co-author of the report, Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD 

Cities can also play a central role in reducing inequalities by adopting the right talent policies. There are a growing number of medium-sized cities looking to combine talent and investment attraction strategies.

Bangkok ranks 97th out of 175 cities listed in the INSEAD report.

90 Turin (Italy) 43.0
91 Beijing (China) 42.9
92 Bordeaux (France) 42.7
93 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) 41.8
94 Sofia (Bulgaria) 41.7
95 Zagreb (Croatia) 41.2
96 Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) 41.1
97 Bangkok (Thailand) 41.1
98 Osaka (Japan) 40.9
99 Shenzhen (China) 40.6
100 Fukuoka (Japan) 40.3

Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI).

For the second year in a row, San Francisco is the top-ranked city in the Global City Talent Competitiveness Index (GCTCI), followed by Boston and Zurich, both up one position from last year. Singapore is the only Asian city to rank in the top 20.

Global City Talent Competitiveness Index (GCTCI)