The Global Talent Competitiveness Index has seen India fall sharply down from rank 83 ten years ago to rank 103 in its latest report out earlier this month.A total of 134 countries have been ranked and presently, India finds itself sandwiched between Algeria (a rank higher at 102) and Gautemala (at rank 104). All three are classified as lower- middle income countries. Among other countries ranking better than India are Rwanda, Paraguay, Tunisia, Namibia, Bolivia, Ghana, El Salvador, Gambia, Kenya, Morocco and Eswatini.India is well below the median score of the countries evaluated.Developed by prestigious chain of business schools INSEAD, the index measures “how countries and cities grow, attract and retain talent.” It says that it “provides a unique resource for decision makers to understand the global talent competitiveness picture and develop strategies to boost their economies.” The index uses two sub-indices – input and output. The input measures regulatory and business environments, as well as steps being taken to foster talent and retain it. The output side evaluates the quality of talent.In a steep fall that must concern India, with the government often citing scores on certain business indices, ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and even the controversial World Bank-led ‘Doing Business’ scores to make its case. The World Bank Report on ‘Doing Business’ was dropped due to irregularities in which it was measured. India’s performance in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) is the worst amongst that of the BRICS countries.China remains at the top of the BRICS group of countries at rank 40, Russia is at 52, South Africa at 68 and Brazil is ranked at 69.The report (page 36) notes that India “remains the lowest-ranked BRICS member at 103rd. In the years to 2020, India saw its talent competitiveness increase, but it has regressed in each of the three years since. A major reason for this fall in GTCI rankings is a slump in business sentiment, which has had a detrimental effect on the ability to ‘Attract talent’ (now ranked 132nd of 134)—whether that is talent from overseas (127th in External Openness sub-pillar) or from within the country (129th in Internal Openness)”. The report also refers to “an increased skills mismatch, and a greater difficulty in finding skilled employees, pushing India to 121st in both the ‘Employability’ sub-pillar and the ‘Vocational and Technical Skills’ pillar.” The report does record “Global Knowledge Skills, the second of the Output-related pillars, is India’s best-performing area, where innovation and software development are driving its 69th position in the Talent Impact sub-pillar.”As per the report, other emerging countries have shown improvements on this index, with China, Indonesia and Mexico being cited for special mention. “Several of the largest emerging economies are among the best improvers over the past decade: Notable examples include: China has moved from being a talent mover to a talent champion; Indonesia is one of the countries with the greatest strides in talent competitiveness over the past decade; Mexico has moved from being a talent laggard to a talent mover; and Brazil has progressed may well soon categorise as a talent mover.”Singapore, Switzerland and the United States are among the top three countries on the scale. European countries continue to dominate the ‘Top 25’ rankings. For the first time, Japan has dropped out from top 25, and South Korea has moved up in its place.