The attraction of talent from every corner of the planet is becoming the subject of intense international competition, as people (“human capital”) emerge as the crucial factor for the productivity, innovation, and prosperity of a society. The outcome of this competition is also determined by the immigration policy practiced in each country, but not only by it.
It is determined mainly by the environment that applies to its own citizens, by the obligations, possibilities, and opportunities that they have in their own country. The attractiveness of a country for talented foreigners depends on whether or how friendly it is or is not to its own citizens.
To capture the ability of its 38-member countries to attract talented, highly skilled workers, innovative entrepreneurs and highly educated students, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with the support of the Bertelsmann Foundation, created an assessment tool in 2019, the Talent Attractiveness indexes, with its latest available data being for 2023. This focuses on the ability to attract three main categories of immigrants: talented, highly skilled workers, the most innovative entrepreneurs and highly educated students. Greece is in the bottom five or six places. Here is a look at the big picture:
