The IMD World Talent Ranking 2025, published by the IMD World Competitiveness Center (WCC) in Lausanne, evaluates how well countries attract, develop, and retain talent. The study, led by Professor Arturo Bris (Director, IMD WCC) and Christos Cabolis (Chief Economist, WCC), combines hard data (education spending, income levels, mobility, demographics) with insights from over 6,000 senior executives worldwide.
First introduced in 2014, the World Talent Ranking has become one of the most respected annual benchmarks for global talent competitiveness. The 2025 edition once again places Switzerland at the very top — and for good reason. Here’s why Switzerland continues to excel, and what it means for Rockstar Recruiting and our clients.
Education & Skills Development
Switzerland invests heavily in education and vocational training. Its dual apprenticeship system produces highly skilled professionals, while universities like ETH Zurich and EPFL ensure world-class research and tech talent. For Rockstar, this means direct access to one of the most innovative and employable candidate pools globally.
Quality of Life & Stability
Executives rank quality of life, healthcare, infrastructure, and political stability as top reasons to relocate. Switzerland delivers on all fronts — which is driving and retaining candidates of world-class calibre right here in Switzerland. This makes it easier for Rockstar to attract international experts into Swiss-based roles — they know they’ll find not just jobs, but long-term opportunities for their families.
Passport Freedom & Mobility
The report introduces passport freedom as a new metric in 2025. Switzerland’s strong global mobility and visa agreements help bring in scarce talent faster. For our clients, this reduces hiring friction and allows companies to secure top international candidates in competitive markets.
Innovation Ecosystem
The Swiss ecosystem thrives on collaboration between universities, startups, corporates, and government. For Rockstar, this creates demand for highly specialized profiles — from AI engineers to biotech innovators — and ensures we’re working at the cutting edge of technology and industry trends.
Retaining International Talent
Switzerland doesn’t just attract people; it keeps them. Competitive salaries, cultural openness, and career development opportunities result in high retention rates. For companies, this means lower turnover costs — and for candidates, greater career security.
The Global Context: Hiring in Switzerland, H-1B Barriers and U.S. Tech Policy
Due to its talent heaven, Switzerland, and in particular the Greater Zurich Area is becoming a globally relevant tech hub. European tech companies like Zalando, Asien tech companies like Bytedance, Huawei or Baidu - and of course, US tech companies like Google, NVIDIA and Apple are setting up offices here. But what does the future of this trend look like?
The new U.S. administration under President Trump is introducing higher costs and restrictions around H-1B visas, making it harder — and more expensive — for American tech companies to bring in international talent. This policy shift is already reshaping global hiring strategies.
For many U.S. scaleups and corporates - but also global tech companies, Switzerland is emerging as the logical alternative:
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🌍 Global hub access: Centrally located in Europe, with strong passport freedom.
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👩💻 Top-tier tech workforce: ETH Zurich, EPFL, and a proven innovation ecosystem.
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🏦 Business-friendly stability: Political neutrality, strong IP protection, and corporate headquarters infrastructure.
This means U.S. firms can expand existing Swiss offices or set up new R&D hubs and projects here, tapping into Switzerland’s top-ranked talent pool — without the visa bottlenecks and cost inflation of the U.S. market.
Rockstar’s Takeaway
At Rockstar Recruiting, we see these strengths every day. Switzerland’s ability to attract, develop, and retain world-class talent makes it one of the best places to build careers and companies. That’s why we connect global professionals with deep-tech scaleups and corporates here — and why our clients benefit from a talent market that is both competitive and sustainable.
👉 If you’re hiring or looking for your next challenge in Switzerland, Rockstar is your gateway to one of the world’s strongest talent ecosystems.
