The world's ten topmost competitive countries

Switzerland

Switzerland naturally stands out as the world's most competitive country with an excellent performance in all fields including vocational and technical skills. Switzerland is a reputable country when it comes to offering career prospects to foreign professionals along with high wages. The country is able to attract and retain global talent thanks to a series of measures including tax benefits and job security. Thanks to its economic prosperity and social mobility, Switzerland has become a top destination for expats coming from Europe and the rest of the world.

Singapore

In spite of its size, Singapore is one of the Asian giants with a prosperous industrialized economy. With a range of opportunities, especially in the electronics and petrochemical fields, Singapore ranks as the world's second most competitive country. According to the data, Singapore has been attracting foreign professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world thanks to long-term growth prospects and the significant importance given to innovation. Moreover, the Singaporean government seems determined to attract more foreign entrepreneurs through the establishment of the Entrepreneurship Program (EntrePass) along with a more flexible corporate tax system.

USA

The USA comes forward as the ideal destination for those looking to improve their knowledge and skills. The country can rely on its network of prestigious universities and the number of local and multinational companies. The startup ecosystem is also developing rapidly, providing a range of opportunities to foreign professionals and entrepreneurs. The USA can boast about its huge talent pool from around the world, including many North Americans. Employability is also high, which means that there are jobs for highly-skilled expatriates in various fields. As an open country in terms of international mobility, social and cultural diversity is also really high – which is a considerable asset in the eyes of local and multinational companies.

Norway

Norway owes it reputation to the unparalelled quality of life enjoyed by its inhabitants. In recent years, Norway's attractiveness and competitiveness has risen for various reasons. Its economic dynamism and prosperity, access to social protection, and many other benefits allow the country to attract and retain global talent. Moreover, Norway already has a massive domestic talent pool on which relies its economic growth. Lifelong learning is another key part of the local labour market. Thanks to its quality higher education system, Norway is able to train local and global talent which can also access to developed international markets.

Sweden

Being one of the world's most tolerant countries, Sweden has been attracting talents from around the world thanks to its resilient and high-growth economy. There are various career prospects for expatriates in Sweden, even though its quality of life is by far its greatest strength. Thanks to its quality education system, the country can rely on a huge and well-balanced talent pool including both professional and technical skills. The Swedish labour market gives significant importance to lifelong learning as much as formal education, which helps attract and retain the best global talents.

Finland

Finland has one of the world's finest education system which puts a lot of emphasis on formal education for sustainable growth. The country firmly believes that lifelong learning is the answer to current and long-term economic and market needs. In spite of its rather strict regulations, Finland is one of the world's most competitive countries both regarding career prospects and launching a startup. Needless to say that Finland is a tolerant country that puts a strong emphasis on social mobility.

Denmark

Denmark is an ideal destination for those seeking a good work-life balance, especially with the Welfare State that has proven its effectiveness over the years. The country provides an excellent business climate to those looking for new opportunities with the presence of countless local and multinational companies. Corruption is also very low in Denmark. Its economic dynamism, the openness of its labour market, as well as its excellence in education and social protection benefits have allowed Denmark to attract and retain global talent.

United Kingdom

Its openness to the rest of the world has allowed the United Kingdom to remain one of the world's most competitive countries in spite of Brexit. The UK has no trouble in attracting and retaining global talent with a range of opportunities available in various fields, especially in services, finance, and information and communication technology. Focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation, the UK is the ideal place for launching your startup thanks to a strong business environment with high growth prospects. However, there's still much to do in terms of internal openness in spite of its great diversity, as well as in terms of gender equality.

Netherlands

Being one of Europe's economic powerhouses, the Netherlands stands out for its exceptional growth. Since its economic recovery in 2016, the Netherlands has become a top destination for expatriates for various reasons. Focusing on formal education and lifelong learning as well as growth prospects, the country has been attracting foreign professional from around the world in large numbers. The Netherlands also has a large domestic talent pool which explains the very low unemployment rate. Special emphasis is also placed on innovation, which means that there are plenty of opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs looking to launch their startup. Services, including insurance, banking and logistics, and new technologies, are some of the most promising sectors in the Netherlands.

Luxembourg

Despite being a small European country, Luxembourg has all the strengths and characteristics of a developed and competitive country. It ranks 10^th thanks to its open and dynamic economy, strong growth potential, not to mention its modern infrastructure and exellent market connectivity. Luxembourg is able to attract and retain global talent, be it professionals or entrepreneurs looking to launch their startup. As an international financial center, the country also provides an attractive tax and legislative framework for companies. The quality of its higher education system has also been attracting students from all around the world, fostering the ideal environment for social mobility. To attract and retain global talent, Luxembourg can rely not only on its economic prosperity and excellent reputation but also on social protection, among other benefits.