NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi has expressed optimism following India’s remarkable performance in the first ever QS World Future Skills Index, describing it as a testament to the country’s efforts to empower its youth and drive innovation.
In a tweet, he wrote “This is heartening to see! Over the last decade, our Government has worked on strengthening our youth by equipping them with skills that enable them to become self-reliant and create wealth.
Saif Ali Khan Health Update
We have also leveraged the power of technology to make India a hub for innovation and enterprise.”
The PM also lauded the index calling it, “valuable as we move further on this journey towards prosperity and youth empowerment.”
The QS World Future Skills Index evaluates countries based on their readiness to meet the changing demands of the international job market. It highlights how education systems and economies can align to foster innovation, sustainable competition, and workforce development.
India secured the 25th position globally in the Index, excelling in the “Future of Work” category with the second-highest score (99.1) globally, just behind the United States. The report recognises India’s strong ability to attract venture capital and its readiness to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the workforce.
This positions India as one of the most prepared nations for “most ready to recruit into digital roles,” alongside Mexico.
Need for improvement
However, the report also underlines areas requiring improvement. While Indian universities perform well in global rankings, the higher education system needs to better train graduates with skills in AI, green technologies, and digital innovation. There is also a crucial need to align research and industry efforts to meet emerging global trends like sustainable infrastructure and environmental strategies.
Matteo Quacquarelli, QS Vice President for Strategy and Analytics, highlighted India’s unique advantages, stating, “India’s outstanding GDP growth in recent years, developing economy, youth population and start-up culture, are all putting the country on the world stage and on a strengthened footpath to success.”
He said that India’s current population offers multiple opportunities for development while other countries are dealing with demographic problems revolving around ageing societies.
The index recommends fostering greater collaboration between academia and industry and improving research investment to address skills gaps. It also emphasises leveraging India’s National Education Policy (2020) to create an adult education framework for future workforce needs.
The vice president further added that with an expected economic growth rate of 6.5 per cent annually between 2025 and 2030, India is ahead of many competitor economies globally.
However as the economic landscape continues to evolve and innovate, students, graduates and workers need to be supported to keep up with the pace of change in relevant skills required.
“The 2020 National Education Policy identified the importance of creating an adult education curriculum framework and it is important India’s higher education is fully leveraged to develop the skills and competences that will be required in the future,” he stated.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds CEO Jessica Turner said, “I would like to say congratulations to India, to the people of India and PM Modi. India, along four dimensions of the index – one of them is the future of work and India is the number 2 country globally for the future of work in our World Future Skills Index. It’s right behind the US and that really is a testament to the innovation in the Indian economy and the ability to create those jobs that are future-facing and that are absorbing graduates from Indian Universities and creating opportunities for the economy in India and across the world. Congratulations.”
The QS World Future Skills Index, developed by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, serves as a critical resource for nations to evaluate their readiness for future workforce demands, enabling them to align education and skills training for economic transformation.
