Signal Canada's skilled immigration policy is named beside Estonia, Singapore and other talent programmes

Summary

This signal concerns talent as a strategic resource. The report argues that the relative scarcity of technology workers gives an edge to countries that already have human capital or can attract and keep skilled foreign workers. As one case it points to Canada, whose immigration system is aimed at attracting skilled people, tech specialists among them. Other forward-looking examples it lists are Estonia's Digital Nomad visa, Singapore's smart city initiatives, South Korea's technology startup ecosystem, research facilities in Switzerland and Sweden, and the UAE's Future Office. These policies show states competing for people as they once competed for other resources. The report later suggests that states committed to diversity, inclusion and welfare may be especially successful in this competition.