The D.C. metro has moved up the ranks in the annual Global Cities Talent Competitiveness Index, landing the No. 1 spot for the world's best entrepreneurial talent.
It's a big upgrade from last year, when the region ranked No. 6, with Zurich on top.
“Its steady economy, dynamic population, outstanding infrastructure and connectivity, highly-skilled workforce and world class education are all characteristics which contribute to making the city such a talent hub,” according to the GCTCI.
The report looked at five categories to build the rankings: the ability cities have to enable, attract, grow and retain talent, and an ability to “be global.” Subcategories included metrics like environmental quality, airport connectivity and internet access. D.C. ranked in the top 10 for three of the five categories.
As one might expect, the metro area's highest category ranking was a No. 3 spot for being a global city, behind Paris and London. D.C. ranked No. 7 for attracting talent, but Amazon's upcoming move to Northern Virginia likely will boost those numbers.
Copenhagen, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich filled out the top five places for talent-competitiveness, while New York and Boston appeared in the top 10.
The report also ranked countries for talent-competitiveness, with the U.S. coming in at No. 3, behind Switzerland and Singapore.
The GCTCI is created annually by a partnership between international graduate business school INSEAD, human resources provider The Adecco Group, and digital infrastructure firm Tata Communications.
