It’s no surprise that Switzerland attracts and retains some of the world’s top talent, as this powerhouse of a European country has innovation and competitiveness built into the nation’s DNA.
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It’s no surprise that Switzerland attracts and retains some of the world’s top talent, as this powerhouse of a European country has innovation and competitiveness built into the nation’s DNA. The Swiss excel at developing top level education, and unlike some European countries the standard of living and quality of life mean that they not only keep their own homegrown workforce, but also add exceptional skills from incoming professionals.
In the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2018 the Swiss have have come out top again due to their almost perfect economic environment that consists of scores in market, business and labour landscapes – the index scores countries specifically on their ability to grow and retain individuals with excellent skills levels.
International excellence
The central geography of the region means that it has always been well-placed to be at the hub of business and innovation, and it has maximised this position creating a truly international feel with 64% of the population speaking more than one language and often up to three languages. Zurich regularly scores consistently highly on the business indexes, and has had no less than 21 Nobel Prize laureates at ETH, a top ranking university.
Strong infrastructure
The Swiss score highly in a number of rankings including the Global Competitiveness Report published by The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the country is far and away the leader in this sphere. Strength in a number of areas lead the country to be a clear winner, and these include a robust economy, resilient and flexible labour market and the strong innovative streak that drives the economy.
However, the overall infrastructure also lends itself to this all round success story, as Swiss citizens enjoy a strong health system and education that is second to none as well as good transport links and a beneficial and invigorating living environment.
Technological drive
Among their many talents, the Swiss are also streets ahead of some other European countries in the invention and adoption of new technologies and they rank 2nd in the tech readiness of businesses and citizens. This illustrates that they are not only innovative and can implement applied research, but that the workforce is also responsive and adaptable to the influx of new technologies.
Inventiveness
A number of major tech, IT and pharmaceutical companies now operate from the country with others following suit and it’s not hard to imagine why when you know that the Swiss have more patents than any other European country per capita! The ability to turn research into applied products is another example of the extraordinary talents that make up the country’s workforce, and is a reason why so many other businesses want to connect with or even relocate to Switzerland.
Business accumen
A clear indicator of a country’s competitive and innovative ingenuity is the number of businesses it spawns and a number of big names have become global concerns, including Nestle, Glencore, Zurich, Novartis and many others. Glencore, which is an acronym for Global Energy Commodity Resources, ranked 10th in the Fortune Global 500 list of the largest companies in the world in 2015, even though it was only instigated in 1974! Other companies have also risen through the ranks and show the intangible mix of determination, innovation and solid foundations that make Switzerland continuously successful in the business world.