BAHRAIN has taken a giant stride in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023.
The kingdom is ranked 44th – up from 49th – in Northern Africa and Western Asia in the annual survey that assesses a country based on its ability to attract, develop and retain skilled individuals.
In the GCC and the Arab world, Bahrain is placed third, preceded by the UAE (22) and Qatar (35), and followed by Saudi Arabia (48), Oman (59) and Kuwait (63).
The Business School for the World released the findings in collaboration with the Geneva-based consultancy firm Descartes Institute for the Future.
The survey, which covers 134 countries across all income groups, is a comprehensive annual benchmarking report that provides a unique resource for decision-makers to understand the global talent competitiveness and develop strategies to boost their economies.
Bahrain is ranked 46th on the Enable category which covers government effectiveness, labour rights, political stability, rule of law, ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure and regulatory landscape among other sub-categories.
The kingdom scores well on the Attract rankings (29) with a good pool of skilled migrants, international students, social mobility, economic empowerment of women, gender parity in high-skilled jobs and tolerance of minorities.
In the fourth parameter, which is the Grow category which covers vocational enrolment, formal education, employee development, youth inclusion, prevalence of training in forms and lifelong learning, the kingdom is ranked 30th.
In the Retain category which includes pension coverage, social protection, personal rights, sanitation, environmental performance and sustainability, the kingdom is ranked 69.
Bahrain is ranked 44 out of 134 countries in the competitiveness index
The report also includes Vocational and Technical Skills which covers ease of finding skilled employees, labour productivity per employee, workforce with secondary education and employability and here Bahrain is ranked 56.
The last category is Global Knowledge Skills which includes researchers, high-value exports, new business density, talent impact and scientific journal articles – Bahrain is ranked 63.
Overall, in the Sanitation subcategory Bahrain is ranked 1st, use of virtual social networks (2), digital skills (5) and brain gain (9).
Switzerland has maintained its top position for 10 consecutive years, while Singapore has held second place every year except in 2020, and the US, while somewhat less steady, has predominantly stayed within the top four.
This year, European nations also secured 17 positions in the top 25.
The report states that with the rapidly changing and uncertain decade ahead, the world of work will further transform, driven by evolving expectations from younger generations, new economic models and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
It states that domestic labour market challenges and rising nationalism will further intensify the battle of talent wars, in particular around immigration policies.
The document further sheds light on the increasing gender divide in many poorer and emerging economics with the Covid-19 pandemic further worsening this divide – pushing it to irreversible levels.
Bahrain over the past few years continues to upskill its workforces to foster tech startups to help shape the digital future.
Tamkeen last year supported 8,400 Bahrainis through four flagship programmes with commitments of over BD6.1 million.
Government innovation and collaboration with international tech giants like AWS and Microsoft are creating a workforce equipped for the jobs of tomorrow, as Bahrain is on track with digital revolution.
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