This article was translated by John R. Bopp
Since 1991, the annual World Economic Forum has been held in January, and in this year’s event, being held now, the 2018 Global Talent Competitiveness Index was presented by the INSEAD business school.
This study makes a general analysis of competitivity for talent at a global level: in addition, each addition makes a special analysis of a specific perspective of making the most of talent for developing society. On Monday, the detail focus was on an interesting and very current aspect: diversity for competitivity. Diversity, a concept that’s getting more and more important in our society, can be a problem or a solution for improving our societies’ capacity.
The study also paid special attention to the talent competitivity index for cities around the world, and the number on that list jumped from 45 to 90. On that list, Bilbao-Biscay is at a very respectable #32, just above cities like Singapore, Rotterdam, or Buenos Aires, and only three below Berlin.
Furthermore, continuing with the idea of analyzing the role of diversity in the development of Talent, the 2018 GTCI analyzed three case studies in cities where this combination is working out especially well.
One of those cases is Bilbao-Biscay. Under the title “The Bilbao Experience: Best Practices Related to Diversity and Talent”, they analyze the work that’s been carried out in the territory for the last few years, and how “Bilbao is becoming one of the emerging talent centers in Europe”, work that Bizkaia Talent has a leading role in.
This analysis pays special attention to the Be Basque strategy, which is based on an idea that’s important to highlight: the idea that all of us make up a very coherent reality. It may be that for us Basques, the differences and distances from one point to another are “huge”, but most people who look at us from outside, or who visit us, and in many cases live in cities whose populations are several times larger than that of our whole country, do not have that perception. They see us as what we are: a reality rich in details, but structured, and unique.
Actually, we’ve always had the impression that that desire to differentiate, to separate, that is so fomented from some circles, really only serves to weaken us as a people.
Nevertheless, action plans like the ones analyzed here allow this study to have a conclusion as fascinating as this:
All in all, the Bilbao area is discovering its own way to compete for the best talent among the different cities and regions worldwide, looking for the best approaches to value its differentiated identity, leveraging the duality ‘South of the North, North of the South’—which not only refers to its geographical location in Europe but also to the balance it seeks and promotes between the lifestyle of the south and the industrial mindset, high social
protection, and low inequality that are generally attributed to the north. This invites every highly skilled professional to join in with a deep and sincere ‘You Be Basque too’ wherever he or she comes from.
We’ll leave you with the study and its presentation:
Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2018
On pages 95-99 of this report, three example cities from around the world are discussed. As we explained, one of them is the “Be Basque” strategy from the Bilbao metropolitan area, via the Bizkaia Talent organization.
(PDF)
GTCI Presentation Video
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country
