The Netherlands has climbed into the 10 top of an influential ranking of countries which score well in training, retaining and attracting talent. The Netherlands rose two places to 9th in the list drawn up by Insead business school and was cited as being the world’s best country overall in growing talent.

The ranking was published on Monday evening, ahead of the opening of the annual Davos conference in Switzerland. Switzerland itself topped the list, followed by Singapore and the US.

The study is based on the principle that diversity is the linchpin of innovative and competitive working environments worldwide.The Netherlands scored well with the quality of education, quality of life and tolerance. But it fell behind in attracting foreign talent.

‘The Netherlands can always improve its labour market,’ the study noted. In particular, the Netherlands scored very low on the hiring and dismissal of employees.

Amsterdam

The GTCI rated cities and areas as well. Amsterdam was 11th in the cities category and Brainport Eindhoven was called a textbook example of a technology region in which companies, local authorities and academic institutions work closely together.

Chips machine maker ASML of Veldhoven, a major player in Brainport Eindhoven, was selected as an ideal company in the GTCI survey. ‘The company has nearly 10,000 employees from 90 different countries all working in teams on very complex technical problems,’ it said.

‘Research shows that for complex tasks that require creativity, diverse teams do better than those comprised of similar individuals – as long as the team members have the skills to collaborate,’ the report said. ‘Diversity of views, experiences, expertise, culture and race can all enhance the way organisations and countries work.’