Bogotá — European and Asian countries have the most skilled labor forces in the fields of business, technology and data science, considered among the most demanded and relevant for employment, according to the Global Skills Report 2023.
The report, which presents data on 100 countries drawn from the online learning platform Coursera, concludes that economic growth is highly dependent on the mastery of these skills by the general population.
“There are strong correlations between greater skills proficiency and economic progress, such as human capital potential and innovation,” the report notes, also concluding that internet access is linked to greater economic opportunities and that students in high-income countries are more likely to invest in learning human skills.
The report also finds that students who complete graduate education are the most likely to invest in AI-related skills.
One notable finding is that countries are striving to close the gender gap in online learning, while students worldwide are preparing for digital roles with professional certifications. According to the report’s authors, countries with more advanced skills proficiency boast an average GDP per capita about four times higher than those lagging behind.
Switzerland leads the Global Skills Report 2023, followed by Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, Japan, Indonesia, Slovakia, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Ukraine, Singapore, Finland, Bulgaria, Colombia, and Hong Kong rank closely behind.
At the lower end of the rankings, we find Uganda (90th), Algeria (91st), Pakistan (92nd), Somalia (93rd), Palestine (94th), Iraq (95th), Sudan (96th), Ghana (97th), Kenya (98th), Philippines (99th), and Nigeria (100th).”
Global Skills Report 2023: Latin America results
In Latin America, students perform the best in technology (75%) and data science (69%), boasting the highest regional averages in these areas, according to Coursera.
In terms of technology skills, Mexico (97%), Colombia (95%), Argentina (93%), Chile (89%), Brazil (87%) and Peru (81%) had the highest scores.
Meanwhile, students from Brazil (99%), Argentina (96%), Mexico (90%), Peru (86%) and Bolivia (80%) excelled in data science.
“Compared to students in other countries, LatAm students are more likely to invest in data science skills such as data analytics software (2.4x), technology skills such as programming principles (2.12x), computer programming tools (1.39x) and software architecture (1.37x), and business skills such as negotiation (1.86x) and culture (1.57x),” the report explains.
Colombia
Regionally, the top-ranked country is Colombia (rank 19), with the strongest skills proficiency in technology and its biggest area for improvement is business.
The Global Skills Report 2023 indicates that “leaders can leverage student interest in over-indexing in leadership skills and professional certificates to help bridge this gap.”
The research suggests that compared to other countries, Colombian students are more likely to invest in data science skills such as data analytics software (2.81x), technology skills such as programming principles (1.83x) and business skills clustered around leadership such as culture (1.67x), human learning (1.62x) and emotional intelligence (1.46x).
Mexico
Mexico ranks 25th, and has seen a significant growth in enrollment for professional certificates. According to 95% of Mexican employers, this strengthens a candidate’s job application.
In Mexico, business skills represent the biggest area for improvement, with communication (93%) and accounting (73%) being the exceptions.
Brazil
The South American giant ranks 28th with the world’s second highest score in data science (99%), a high score in technology (87%) and the world’s third highest growth rate in professional certificate enrollments.
The room for improvement for Brazil lies in the frequency with which leaders invest in business skills and how they tap into students’ interest in leadership skills, as well as in continuing to prepare students for digital roles and investing in professional certificates.
“Compared to students in other countries, those in Brazil are more likely to invest in business skills related to leadership, such as people analysis (2.19 times), strategy (2.2 times) and negotiation (2.05 times),” the paper states.
