Croatia ranked 58th among 61 countries in a report by the IMD business school from Lausanne, which studied the ability of countries to develop, attract and retain talent to sustain the talent pool available for enterprises operating in their economies.
The report focused on three key factors -- public investment in education and the quality of the education system, the ability of a country to retain home-grown talent and attract talent from abroad, and the readiness of a country to meet labour market demand for available talent from the talent pool.
Croatia ranked 40th in respect of the investment and development factor and 58th in respect of the appeal and readiness factors.
The results of the study are based on more than 30 indicators, including statistics and data obtained from a survey of executives in the countries covered by the study.
Croatia ranked first for the pupil-teacher ratio in secondary schools and scored worst in employee training, attracting and retaining talent, international experience, university education and management education, placing 60th.
Switzerland topped the ranking as the best country in the world for developing, attracting and retaining talent. It was followed by Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Canada, Belgium and Singapore.
Among the "new" members of the European Union, the Czech Republic scored best, ranking 30th. It was followed by Poland (32nd), Slovenia (38th), Slovakia (47th), Romania (48th), Hungary (56th), Croatia (58th) and Bulgaria (61st).
Commenting on the report, NVK chairman Ivica Mudrinic stressed the need to adopt a national development strategy and implement key reforms to create a favourable environment for investment and job creation.
"Retaining and attracting talent is possible only if we create jobs and make it possible for people to achieve professional recognition in this country. Any delay of such strategic measures will lead to further impoverishment of Croatian society," Mudrinic concluded.