Winning the global talent war: a policy perspective

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article was to discuss the phenomenon of international talent mobility and competition in relation to China’s engagement in the “talent war” for attracting, retaining and managing global talents, from a policy perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The author adopts an approach combining literature review and international comparative analysis. Findings – Factors explaining global talent mobility have been predominantly economic. This paper argues that China should also focus on other critical non-economic aspects for attracting and retaining talents in the long-term. The Chinese Government may learn from the experience of other competing countries in developing a national strategy for attracting and retaining global talents. While China has an advantage in attracting overseas Chinese who are attached to its cultural roots and are other competing countries’ residents or citizens, its existing talent policy may not be able to create effective local and institutional environment in attracting and retaining needed talents. Practical implications – An attractive policy is key to winning the global talent war and determining the future development path of a nation. The talent policy at a national level should address not only economic factors but also personal, professional and institutional factors. Originality/value – Winning the global talent war is a policy competition among countries. The Chinese Government may succeed in the war for talent by adopting a multi-pronged, multi-level and long-term talent strategy. This paper calls for China to reconsider its recent reform on permanent residence (green card) policy reform from a global talent competition perspective.