Education is the most important resource in the country. Switzerland has no access to the sea. No mineral resources worth mentioning. But when it comes to education, the Swiss Confederation is top notch. Even the best in the world, as the latest ranking from the Lausanne Business School IMD shows.
The ranking is created every year. Switzerland has been one of the best in recent years. So far, however, it has never been enough for a place at the top of the podium in digital education. In 2019, the US was ahead of the game. In 2020, the USA and Singapore were ahead of Switzerland. In 2021 it will finally be enough for gold – ahead of Sweden, the USA, Singapore and Hong Kong.
While Switzerland has a lot of ground in the field of digital education, it has some catching up to do in other areas. Switzerland shows weaknesses in the area of adaptability. In addition, the capital situation is better in other places. Young tech companies can find support more quickly and easily at the world’s financial hotspots. Above all in the USA.
Tough competition in Europe
The new ranking was presented at the kick-off event for Swiss Digital Day. IMD director Arturo Bris (54), professor of finance and competitiveness, praised Switzerland for its quality of life and its ability to recruit talented staff from abroad. At the same time, he warned against losing touch with the world’s best. After all, including all factors, Switzerland only ranks 6th in an international comparison of the most digitally competitive countries.
The state confirms the place from the previous year. However, Switzerland is also missing out on being in the top 5 again. In Europe, the Swiss Confederation has to line up behind Sweden (3rd place in the overall ranking) and Denmark (4th place) – just ahead of the Netherlands, which achieved seventh place in the overall ranking.
The country must master three challenges, Bris said at the press conference. First: agility. The Swiss system is sluggish, especially when compared to Asian countries like Singapore. Second: the attractiveness of the location. In a post-pandemic world that has become even more mobile, it is becoming increasingly difficult to lure people into the country. And third: finances. Many entrepreneurs would have to emigrate to meet their cash needs.
Further training offensive in Switzerland
The latter is the greatest challenge, the greatest weakness of the country, according to Bris. Although companies such as UBS and Credit Suisse are based in Switzerland, and although the density of millionaires and billionaires is relatively high, the ruble flows elsewhere.
Expression of the weak financial chest: The market capitalization of IT and media companies only made it to 44th place in a global comparison. Investments in telecommunications infrastructure came in 31st place in comparison. When it came to the availability of start-up capital, it was only 11th place.
In order to raise the level – and to counteract the weaknesses – numerous companies have committed themselves to promoting their staff, as it was said at the opening event for Digital Day. 45 organizations have committed to give their employees at least 1 to 4 hours for further training purposes over the next few weeks. “This way we can reach over 100,000 employees,” says Patrick Warnking (53), head of Google Switzerland. Ringier boss Marc Walder (56) emphasized the relevance of lifelong learning in all efforts.
About the Swiss digital day
What do you wish for the digital future and how will it change your everyday life? The Swiss population can get to the bottom of this question on Swiss Digital Day. It will take place for the fifth time on November 10, 2021, either on site across Switzerland or online at digitaltag.swiss. The dialogue on the subject of digitization will start 6 weeks before the Digital Day. From September 29 to November 9, 2021, the population can acquire digital skills, look over the shoulder of experts or bring up questions and opinions. 17 location partners are involved: Digital Basel, Digital Liechtenstein, Digital Winterthur, Canton Aargau, Canton Lucerne, Canton Schwyz, Canton Vaud, Canton Valais, Lugano Living Lab – City of Lugano, City of Bern, City of Biel, City of Lausanne, City of Nyon, City of Solothurn, St. Moritz, economic area City of Thun and Zermatt. The Swiss Digital Day is supported by over 100 partners from science and the private and public sectors. The main sponsors are APG | SGA, AWS, Google, Ringier, Sir Mary and Swisscom.
What do you wish for the digital future and how will it change your everyday life? The Swiss population can get to the bottom of this question on Swiss Digital Day. It will take place for the fifth time on November 10, 2021, either on site across Switzerland or online at digitaltag.swiss. The dialogue on the subject of digitization will start 6 weeks before the Digital Day. From September 29 to November 9, 2021, the population can acquire digital skills, look over the shoulder of experts or bring up questions and opinions. 17 location partners are involved: Digital Basel, Digital Liechtenstein, Digital Winterthur, Canton Aargau, Canton Lucerne, Canton Schwyz, Canton Vaud, Canton Valais, Lugano Living Lab – City of Lugano, City of Bern, City of Biel, City of Lausanne, City of Nyon, City of Solothurn, St. Moritz, economic area City of Thun and Zermatt. The Swiss Digital Day is supported by over 100 partners from science and the private and public sectors. The main sponsors are APG | SGA, AWS, Google, Ringier, Sir Mary and Swisscom.