Global Talent Risk

The report warns of a looming global talent crisis, where ageing populations in the North and employability gaps in the South threaten economic prosperity. It argues that human capital is replacing financial capital as the primary engine of growth and suggests a holistic approach to talent mobility, including strategic workforce planning, easing migration, and expanding underutilized talent pools.

• The causes of talent scarcity differ by region: the Northern hemisphere is primarily affected by rapidly ageing populations and insufficient educational standards, while the Southern hemisphere faces challenges with the employability of its workforce due to uneven education quality.
• Demand for highly educated professionals, technicians, and managers is increasing globally, with particularly high demand expected in healthcare R&D, mining project planning, and web design.
• Women represent a significantly underutilized talent pool; while they make up 55% of college graduates worldwide, many face barriers to returning to the workforce after family leave, with only 40% of those who want to return finding full-time mainstream jobs.
• Virtual mobility is emerging as a critical tool for inclusion and efficiency, with research suggesting that approximately 30% of tasks in multinational corporations could be performed virtually.
• China is implementing a National Medium- and Long-term Talent Development Plan (2010-2020) to shift from a 'population dividend' to a 'talent dividend', aiming to increase its talent pool to 180 million people by 2020.
• There is a critical disconnect between public sector goals of job creation and private sector struggles to find qualified talent, necessitating multistakeholder cooperation between governments, businesses, and academia.

APA

World Economic Forum (2011). Global Talent Risk. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/PS_WEF_GlobalTalentRisk_Report_2011.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Global Talent Risk. 2011. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/PS_WEF_GlobalTalentRisk_Report_2011.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Global Talent Risk |date=2011 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/PS_WEF_GlobalTalentRisk_Report_2011.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2011global, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Global Talent Risk}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2011}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/PS_WEF_GlobalTalentRisk_Report_2011.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }