Ireland's got talent...Just how well do we attract and retain a skilled workforce?

Ireland is in 14th place in global business school IMD's World Talent Ranking, out of 63 countries, beating the UK which is in 21st place.

Countries are assessed in three areas - how well they invest in and develop home-grown talent, the ability of the country to recruit workers from overseas, and the availability of skills in the workforce.

The three categories assess how countries perform in a wide range of areas. These include education, apprenticeships, workplace training, language skills, cost of living, quality of life, remuneration and tax rates.

Ireland was ranked 34th place in its ability to develop home-grown talent, down four places on the previous year, but still ahead of the UK which was in 37th place.

Impressively, it was in fifth place in how well it attracts overseas talent, and 10th place in skills availability.

Overall, Europe continues to dominate the 2017 list, with 11 out of the 15 most talent-competitive economies based on the Continent. Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium remain the most competitive countries for attracting talent, while Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Sweden and Luxembourg make up the top ten.

Meanwhile, IMD said the United States risks losing some of its global competitiveness if it does not increase investment in public education.