India's rapid rise in job opportunities offset by poor standard of education

India stands 35th in the 'Global Talent Index Report: The Outlook to 2015', which ranked 60 countries according to their capacity to develop, attract and retain talent in 2011. The report—by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Heidrick & Struggles—places India in the same position for the year 2015 (projection).

India's rapid rise in job opportunities is offset by poor standard of mainstream education, says the report. In contrast, the strengths of the US— ranked No. 1 in 2011 as well as 2015—are the excellence of its universities, high quality of its workforce and a meritocratic environment.

Denmark, Finland and Norway figure in top five in both 2011 and 2015, and Sweden joins them in 2015—all thanks in part to their consistent and substantial investment in education right from the primary level.

China seems to edge ahead of India by 2015, registering the largest score improvement, boosted by its increasing willingness to embrace foreign workers, a change in approach triggered in part by the impending decline of young indigenous workers entering the labour market, says the report.