Introduction and key findings of CCG report: Global Talent Flow: Trends and Prospects 2025
Global Talent Summit 2025 opens in Beijing with release of talent competitiveness and mobility report.
The Global Talent Summit 2025 opened on June 27 at the Beijing International Wealth Centre in Tongzhou, the capital’s sub-centre district. Co-hosted by the Alliance of Global Talent Organisations (AGTO) and the Centre for China and Globalisation (CCG), the event is supported by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Talent Work and the Tongzhou District Government.
Partner organisations include the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) China, the OECD Beijing Office, and the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) initiative.
The video recordings of the summit have been uploaded to CCG’s official YouTube channel and remain accessible on the Chinese internet.
The event brought together more than 100 participants, including ambassadors and diplomats from Pakistan, Iceland, Latvia, Morocco, Portugal, and Estonia, along with experts from international organisations, universities, multinational companies, and talent service institutions.
During the summit, the AGTO Beijing Representative Office was officially inaugurated. The event also saw the release of the report Global Talent Flow: Trends and Prospects 2025. An excerpt is available below, with the full bilingual report downloadable via the provided link.
Transcripts of the summit sessions will be published later by CCG Update.
Introduction and Key Findings
Talent serves as a crucial asset for national rejuvenation and global competitiveness, playing a pivotal part in China's modernization efforts. Notwithstanding the growing complexity of the international landscape, the cross border movement of talent has remained resilient. Conversely, the developmental impetus created by talent influxes has compelled nations to implement specific policy initiatives to draw the requisite human resources.
Initiated in 2022, the current report—initially presented at the 5th Hongqiao International Economic Forum—pursues the advancement of an open framework for talent mobility as its primary aim. It creates a succinct and impartial assessment approach to comprehensively examine the present condition and emerging trends of global talent mobility, contrasting the talent competitiveness of 38 key nations, as the countries covered by this evaluation account for 65% of the world’s population and 89% of the world’s total GDP, we claim that the evaluation gives a realistic overview of global talent competitiveness.
The report analyzes the establishment of a global dialogue mechanism for talent cooperation, aims to foster cross-national exchanges and disseminate best practices to develop inclusive and effective governance solutions for global talent flows, thereby providing an international public good. Ultimately, it aims to establish a new global framework for talent governance founded on consultation, collaborative contribution, and mutual benefits, therefore improving equity, coordination, and inclusivity in talent mobility
Key conclusions of the report:
1. The United States continues to be the leader in talent competition; nevertheless, the locus of talent is transitioning from Europe and North America to Asia
The report's composite index indicates that the United States ranks top in talent competitiveness, followed by the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Japan, China, Germany, Singapore, Belgium, and Switzerland. Of the top 10 economies, six are from Europe or North America, while four are from Asia, with three Asian nations positioned within the top five, indicating a progressive eastward shift in the global talent center. China and the United States possess distinct advantages in terms of talent scale. The Republic of Korea, Canada, and Sweden rank as the top three nations in talent quality.
Simultaneously, because the talent quality indicators emphasize performances on a per capita basis, rapidly developing economies with bigger labor forces, such as India, China, Indonesia, and Brazil, exhibit worse performances. The United States and China thrive in terms of talent environment, whereas the United States, Israel, and Sweden are at the forefront of talent input. Singapore occupies the top position in talent performance, closely followed by the Republic of Korea. Conversely, Chile, South Africa, and Indonesia have relative weakness in this category.
2. China exhibits significant strengths in talent scale and talent environment while demonstrating relatively potential for enhancement in other areas
Out of the five indicators, China scored the highest in talent scale, followed by talent environment, talent input, talent performance, and talent quality. China occupies the fifth position overall, behind the United States, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and Japan, still falling short of its economic significance. However, it ranks first in the talent scale indicator and second in talent environment, highlighting accomplishments in both work-platform development and living conditions. China ranks 25th in talent performance, signifying potential in optimizing talent contributions and institutional improvement.
China is positioned 28th in talent input—trailing the top decile but relatively closer to some other developing countries, demonstrating potential for growth in total expenditures. In talent quality, China ranks the 30th, which is indicative of the interplay between a substantial labor force denominator and an inadequate per capita supply of high-level talent.
3. Regional talent flows are increasing in magnitude and diversity in trajectory, influenced by geopolitical factors and economic progress
By April 2025, the global displaced population had attained 122.1 million, including a notable contingent of cross border migrating scientific and technology talents. Simultaneously, worldwide merchandise commerce expanded from $63 billion (US dollars) in 1950 to $33 trillion (US dollars) in 2024, hence increasing the demand for skilled professionals.
According to United Nations data, the number of international migrants rose from 173 million in 2000 to 304 million in 2024, primarily migrating from developing to developed economies. The United States is the foremost destination, receiving more than 52.4 million migrants, while India and China are the largest source countries, with 18.53 million and 11.70 million migrants, respectively. The Mexico-to-United States corridor is the largest migration route, while the India-to-United States and China-to-United States routes are the primary gateways for economic migrants.
In terms of immigration structure, labor migrants are the mainstream, concentrated in high-income countries and emerging market service sectors. High-skilled technical immigrants have become the focal point of policy competition among countries. International students, sometimes termed "proto-talents," have tripled in number over the last two decades and are eagerly sought after by host countries.
4. The growth of the global digital economy is elevating the need for digital expertise
Accelerated innovation and profound integration of digital technology are transforming economic rivalry and occupational frameworks globally. The World Economic Forum indicates that the majority of the 20 fastest growing jobs projected for 2025–30 is digital technology related. The global digital economy is anticipated to expand from $38.1 trillion (US dollars) in 2021 to $53.9 trillion (US dollars) by 2025, representing almost 45 percent of global GDP. While automation may replace around 30 percent of existing jobs, it is anticipated to generate 130 million new roles, highlighting significant employment transformations within a new productivity framework.
5. Policy Recommendations for Systematic Global Talent Mobility
Firstly, measures should be taken to deepen the understanding of the value of talent mobility. The shared pursuit of a better life by countries has driven the cross border and cross-sector movement of talent, continuously promoting the flow of immigrant talent, international students, and other groups, which helps enhance understanding, foster mutual trust, and support high-quality development.
Secondly, promoting talent mobility through high-level openness is important. The free and comprehensive development of talent cannot be achieved without a more open global environment, and openness helps break down barriers to mobility and enhance mutual trust.
Thirdly, expanding multi-level platforms for talent exchange and dialogue is also critical. A multi-level institutionalized international talent exchange mechanism should be built, and platforms such as the Global Talent Summit should be used to promote policy coordination, resource sharing, and the achievement of global consensus, improving the fairness, coordination, and inclusiveness of talent mobility.
Fourthly, countries and institutions should advance the diversification and digitalization of talent mobility governance platforms. Global talent mobility shows trends of regional diversification and cross-sector convergence, and governance platforms should emphasize fairness, diverse participation, unified rules, and digital means.
Fifthly, a focus should be placed on building a data-driven global skills recognition and talent mobility governance system. A global skills observation mechanism should be established, mutual recognition of micro-certifications and academic qualifications should be promoted, and a digital certification system should be developed to provide institutional guarantees for the cross-regional and cross-sector mobility of global talents.
I will love to participate in this Global talent.