Today’s global business landscape looks altogether different from that of 10 years ago. Trends such as artificial intelligence and the green transition are increasingly defining the workplace. Indeed, the World Economic Forum predicts that over the next five years, 39% of workers’ core skills will change.
So, with corporations requiring new sets of capabilities from their workers, how can professionals ensure they have the necessary employability skills to future-proof their careers?
The inaugural World Future Skills Index, produced by Quaquarelli Symonds (QS), aims to provide some insight into this question of future skills.
The report measures 81 countries on how well they are equipped to prepare workers to meet the demands of the global job market, both today and in the near future. To measure this, QS identified four key metrics: Skills Fit, Academic Readiness, Future of Work, and Economic Transformation.
For business school hopefuls preparing to take the next step in their journeys and boost their employability skills, the Index provides a valuable insight into the countries that are best-placed to benefit them in future.
QS Future Skills Index: results
The best prepared country for the future of work
Across the various metrics, the Skills Index found the US to be the leading country overall. With a score of 97.6/100, the report confirmed the US as the country most ready for the future of work.
QS noted the US's strong economic performance and investment in high growth areas such as semiconductor manufacturing, affording it a strong potential for the future.
The report also highlighted that the nation is home to substantial job opportunities in areas demanding high-growth, future-oriented skills.
"The US's top performance in the QS Skills Index reflects the country's strength in preparing students for such an innovative and fast-evolving economy, particularly through technology-focused curricula and adaptable skill training. It’s all about staying ahead of the curve, where skills such as adaptability, digital literacy, and problem-solving thrive," said Judith Hodara, co-founder of Fortuna Admissions and former acting director of MBA admissions at The Wharton School.
“Prospective students should view this as a compelling reason to consider graduate management education in the US. They will receive world-class training that aligns closely with industry demands, enhancing their employability and career trajectory in an increasingly complex, technology-driven professional environment,” she added.
The best countries for building your employability skills
Delving deeper into the report provides an insight into the countries that are best meeting the demands of the job market today; those which are leading the way in building skills of the future; and the countries expected to leverage the power of employability skills to drive growth.
The best countries for developing employability skills today
The first of the four key metrics used to rank countries in the Index, QS defined Skills Fit as: “how well a country’s education systems are aligning with employer demands.” While the other metrics were largely focused on the future, Skills Fit was more oriented toward the present day and how countries close their skills gaps.
The only country to record a Skills Fit score of 100, the report found the UK best placed to meet the needs of industry and employers, largely due to the strength of its universities which have historically upskilled graduates and prepared students for the workplace. A strong performance in this category indicates that the UK is a leader in closing skills gaps across industries.
The UK was closely followed by the US, which earned a score of 99.4. The report indicated the US has a strong pedigree in terms of aligning education with the requirements of industry.
Other countries that QS ranked highly for providing those in higher education with the necessary employability skills of today were Canada (third), Germany (fourth), and the Netherlands (fifth).
The best countries for developing employability skills of the future
The Skills Index also ranked countries according to their Academic Readiness, a term defined as: “how well a country is positioned to deliver the skills necessary for future industries."
Here, countries were ranked according to how their higher education institutions currently provide learning that’s relevant to workplaces of the future. Those which have a focus on digital technologies, AI, and subjects supporting the green transition were identified as high performers, with these subjects expected to be key to economic growth.
Again, the UK outperformed other countries in this category, earning an Academic Readiness score of 100. The report cited the consistently strong performance of UK universities in research innovation and academic performance, highlighting that many UK universities have incorporated relevant topics in areas such as AI and sustainability into their curriculums.
Germany followed the UK with a score of 99.6, closely followed by the Netherlands with a score of 99.3. In particular, the report highlighted the future potential of the Netherlands due to its strength in preparing university graduates for green jobs, expected to be a key employability growth area moving forward.
Other countries noted for their Academic Readiness were Australia (fourth), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (fifth).
READ: The Future Skills Employers Will Be Looking For In 2030
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The best countries for jobs requiring fast-growing employability skills of the future
Within the Future of Work category—defined as “the readiness of a country’s job market to recruit for the most in-demand skills of the future”—countries were ranked according to the volume of job postings focused on key innovation areas.
Digital skills, AI, and those skills related to the green transition were expected to be in high demand in future. Here, the index compared the prominence of these skills with more traditional skill areas within job listings, analyzing where countries’ labor markets were shifting in line with industry changes.
The index found the US was the leading country worldwide when it came to preparedness to recruit graduates in key skill areas of the future, with a score of 100.
India followed with a score of 99.1, largely influenced by its widespread use of AI—59% of Indian corporations are actively using AI today, suggesting strong potential for placing skilled graduates in future-ready roles moving forward.
Other notable factors included India’s access to large amounts of venture capital funding, and the nation’s dynamic ecosystem that is seeing widespread adoption of other cutting-edge technologies across industries.
Other prominent countries viewed as leading the way in preparedness for the Future of Work, according to QS, were Mexico (third), Canada (fourth), and Australia (fifth). Mexico and Canada, in particular, were noted for their early adoption of AI which has placed them in good stead for the future.
The best prepared countries to leverage future employability skills
Finally, the Index measured countries according to Economic Transformation, a metric defined as “how ready a country’s economy is to leverage the next wave of skills-led industrial growth”.
Here, the focus was on how ready countries were to sustain growth in the key skill areas of AI, digital transformation, and sustainability, in order to achieve productivity and consistent growth in the economy. Key components of this included investment in research and development, infrastructure, and workforce capabilities.
Leading the way in economic transformation for the future of work was South Korea, which achieved a score of 100. The report noted South Korea as a leading country in high-tech industries, particularly IT and production of semiconductor chips—led by companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix—which are essential to most modern technologies. QS highlighted South Korea’s ambition in preparing for the future of work and historic investment in higher education, which combine favorably with a shift away from a reliance on more traditional industries including mining.
According to the Korean Semiconductor Industry Association, South Korea faces a labor shortage in the industry that’s expected to grow to around 54,000 by 2031. The Index therefore highlighted this as a key challenge for South Korea in order to match its growth potential.
Elsewhere, countries noted in the Economic Transformation category included Israel (second), the US (third), Switzerland (fourth), and Japan (fifth).
