Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
For the first time, the UAE has been named among the world’s top 10 countries for executive talent, marking a historic milestone in its drive to become a global hub for skilled professionals.
The UAE ranked 9th in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2025, officially released today, climbing eight places from last year — the fastest rise in the ranking’s history.
“Its recent upward trend signals rapid improvements in talent-focused policies, infrastructure, and international attractiveness,” the IMD said.
The achievement places the country alongside Switzerland (first), Luxembourg (second), and Iceland (third) in the global top tier, outperforming all other countries in the Middle East.
“The UAE has been making amazing progress in overall competitiveness,” Arturo Bris, Director of the World Competitiveness Centre and Professor of Finance at IMD, said during the report’s launch in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday.
He highlighted the strong skill-to-jobs match in the UAE as a contributing factor to its impressive performance in this year’s index.
“I think that together with good educational policies…[and] a focus on technological skills that drive the transformation of the economy away from oil, the country remains attractive to foreign talent,” Bris said.
Hong Kong SAR also recorded its best-ever performance, rising five positions to fourth, while Singapore slipped five places in a year, landing in seventh.
The annual ranking by the IMD World Competitiveness Centre assesses 69 economies on their ability to develop, attract, and retain talent using a mixture of statistical data and survey responses from 6,162 executives.
Countries are evaluated across three key areas: Investment and Development, Appeal, and Readiness.
The UAE ranked first globally in workforce readiness, which means its talent pool is the best prepared anywhere to meet business needs.
The IMD attributes this to the country’s strong education outcomes, skilled labour availability, and a deep pool of executive experience.
Meanwhile, its “appeal to executives” ranking at 12 is driven by a combination of high quality of life, tax-free income, and international student mobility, the IMD report said.
It found that executives looking to relocate are increasingly motivated by financial security and tangible benefits amid global uncertainty, shifting away from pre-pandemic priorities, such as quality of life, cultural fit, and language.
The UAE also ranked first globally in labour force growth, international experience of senior managers, availability of competent executives, and international student mobility — now considered a cornerstone of future talent strategies, according to the IMD.
