IMD World Talent Ranking 2025
Senior talent prioritize pay over cultural fit in unpredictable
geopolitical climate, finds 2025 IMD World Talent Ranking
Lausanne, Tuesday 9 September 2025 – Executives motivated to relocate for work are being driven by global uncertainty, with major implications for companies and economies, the 2025 IMD World Talent Ranking finds. Financial security and tangible benefits are now most frequently cited as decisive relocation drivers, contrasting with the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era, when quality of life, cultural fit, and language ranked higher.
The Ranking assesses 69 economies’ capacity to develop, attract, and retain the human capital required to sustain growth using a mixture of statistical data and survey responses from 6,162 executives.
This shift is most pronounced in Jordan (46th), Ireland (14th), and the Korean Republic (37th), but spans economies of different sizes and with varying degrees of prosperity globally.
The Ranking’s authors – researchers at the IMD World Competitiveness Center (WCC) – say it is the result of a perfect storm of crises, ranging from the wars in Europe and the Middle East, an acceleration in inflation, and rising food and energy prices.
Younger executives under 40, who have lived through two recessions in their careers, are more financially cautious and less willing to gamble on international moves without a guaranteed financial reward.
“Talent competitiveness remains a highly dynamic and evolving field where sustained leadership demands continuous policy innovation, responsiveness to shifting workforce needs, and the ability to balance long-term investment with short-term adaptability,” said José Caballero, WCC Senior Economist.
Overall, Switzerland maintained its first-place position, Luxembourg reclaimed its second place, and Iceland rose from sixth to third. Hong Kong SAR rose five positions to take fourth, its highest ever position.
The UAE (9th) made the top 10 for the first time. Its recent upward trend signals rapid improvements in talent-focused policies, infrastructure, and international attractiveness.
Singapore (7th) has fallen five places in a year, the executives surveyed rate the level of skills developed in primary and secondary education highly and 36% of university graduates specialize in the sciences. Its investment and development score lets it down.
The UAE and Hong Kong both attract large numbers of inbound students from abroad and distinguish themselves through a highly competitive private sector and outstanding academic achievement, respectively.
According to findings, international student mobility is the foundation of future talent strategies and countries like Canada (11th) and Germany (13th) are not only attracting foreign students, but successfully integrating them into their labor markets, building long-term pipelines of skilled talent.
The report also says efficiency matters as much as investment: economies like Kazakhstan (34th), Latvia (21st), and Estonia (18th) demonstrate that strategic use of limited education budgets can outperform more generously funded, but less effective systems.
The IMD World Talent Ranking evaluates countries across three pillars — Investment & Development, Appeal, and Readiness — using a blend of statistical data and IMD’s Executive Opinion Survey. The 2025 edition covers 69 economies. Full methodology and data tables are available here.
The WCC will publish the Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index on 14 October 2025 and the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking on 4 November 2025.
About IMD Business School
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) has been pioneering leadership development for nearly 80 years. Founded by business for business, we are an independent university institute with Swiss roots and global reach. Operating from Lausanne with strategic hubs in Singapore, Shenzhen, and Cape Town, IMD works with 19,000+ executives from 120+ countries annually. Our 145,000+ alumni form a powerful global network. Consistently ranked among the world’s top business schools, IMD bridges cutting-edge research with real-world application to help leaders solve problems, scale solutions, and drive impact. Real Learning for Real Impact.
