The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has expressed his happiness over India’s strong performance in the QS World Future Skills Index 2025, where the country ranked 2nd in Digital Skills, surpassing Canada and Germany. This reflects India’s preparedness for future-oriented jobs, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and green skills, placing it only behind the United States in this category.
Key Highlights:
- India’s Overall Performance:
- Ranked 25th globally across all indicators, making it a “Future Skills Contender.”
- Top-tier countries such as the USA, UK, Germany, Australia, and Canada have been categorized as “Future Skills Pioneers.”
- Strengths:
- Scored a perfect 100 in economic capacity, reflecting India’s potential for large-scale skill development.
- Ranked 2nd globally in digital skills, showcasing strength in areas critical for the future of work.
- Challenges:
- India’s Skills Fit score (59.1) was the lowest among the top 30 countries, highlighting misalignment between workforce skills and employer needs.
- Scored just 15.6 out of 100 in future-oriented innovation in sustainability, a sub-parameter of economic transformation, indicating significant room for improvement in sustainable development and innovation.
- Global Rankings:
- United States topped the index with a final score of 97.6, emerging as the most “future-ready” country.
- The index evaluated 81 countries across four primary indicators:
- Skills Fit: Alignment between workforce skills and employer needs.
- Academic Readiness: Preparation of educational institutions to meet future skill demands.
- Future of Work: Preparedness for AI, green skills, and jobs of the future.
- Economic Transformation: Ability to adapt to new economic and sustainability trends.
