Japan has less appeal for highly skilled foreign workers than other world economies, according to a Swiss survey.

In the 2018 global survey by the International Institute for Management Development, a business school in Switzerland, Japan came 29th among 63 countries and regions — rising two places from the previous year’s survey.

The institute’s IMD World Talent Ranking is determined after assessing the methods countries and regions use to attract and retain talented staff needed by their businesses in order to thrive. Points were distributed to each economy in 30 categories such as human development and investment, attractiveness to highly skilled foreign workers, and public expenditures on education.

Japan’s overall ranking improved, albeit slightly, chiefly thanks to higher scores on the ready availability of skilled labor.

But the country ranked close to the bottom, at 62nd, for the international experience of its senior corporate officials, at 60th for cost of living, and in 57th place for education expenditures relative to gross domestic product.

Its ranking for firms’ eagerness to attract and retain talent dropped seven places, to ninth position.

Switzerland topped the list overall, followed by Denmark and Norway. The United States came 12th, South Korea 33rd and mainland China 39th.

KEYWORDS Tokyo, ranking, surveys