QS World Future Skills Index 2025.

Why in the NEWS?

• The “QS World Future Skills Index 2025” has recently come into the news as it has ranked India highly in terms of future skills.

Key Points:

• India ranked 25th across all indicators, making the country a “future skills contender” according to the QS World Future Skills Index 2025.
• The index shows that India's education and skills sectors are growing, but at the same time skills gaps exist in some areas.
• The 2025 report shows that countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Canada are “skills pioneers of the future”.
  

India's position in the QS World Future Skills Index 2025

• Overall ranking: 
  • India has been ranked 25th in the QS World Future Skills Index 2025, making it a "contender for the skills of the future".
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Green Skills: 
  • India ranks second to the US in skills required for future jobs such as artificial intelligence (AI) and green skills. 
  • This means that India is well prepared in this area, but is slightly behind the US.
• Economic transformation: 
  • India has been ranked 40th in terms of economic transformation in this index, which indicates that India may need some more improvements to adapt to economic changes.
• Skills required for future jobs: 
  • India has been ranked 37th in terms of workforce having the skills required for future jobs, which shows that India's workforce is getting ready for the new challenges to come, but some areas need improvement.
• QS Analysis: 
  • This analysis by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) assesses the ability of countries to meet the demands of the emerging international job market, taking into account skills, employer requirements, educational readiness and economic change.

What is Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)?

• The company was founded in 1990 by Nunzio Quacquarelli. 
• It is a global education services company that provides data and rankings for higher education. 
• It is globally renowned for evaluating higher education institutions.
• QS is primarily known for its university rankings, such as the QS World University Rankings. 
• In addition, it also produces a number of other rankings and indexes, such as the QS World Future Skills Index, which evaluates countries' preparedness for future jobs.
• QS helps students with university selection, educational decisions, and career guidance. 
• Its rankings and reports are considered a benchmark for universities and educational institutions worldwide.

What is QS World Future Skills Index?

• The QS World Future Skills Index is a global report published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). 
• The index assesses the capabilities of countries to develop and prepare the skills needed for the jobs of the future. 
• It is specifically prepared with reference to the needs of Artificial Intelligence (AI), green skills, and other emerging areas such as digital skills and sustainable development.

Objective of the QS World Future Skills Index:

• Skills development: 
  • The index measures the capacity and skills of countries' workforce to ensure that they are prepared for the demands of the global job market.
• Skills needs: 
  • It identifies skills that are going to be more important in the future, such as technical skills (AI, data science, etc.) and green skills (related to sustainable development).
• Economic changes: 
  • The index also measures how countries are adjusting to their economic changes and how they are preparing the working environment needed for the future.
• Educational readiness: 
  • This also takes into account the preparation being provided through the education system and training.

Key indicators of the QS World Future Skills Index:

• The QS World Future Skills Index made the assessment based on four main indicators:
• Skill Fit: 
  • It measures how well countries are preparing graduates to meet the needs of employers.
• Future of Work: 
  • It measures how well countries are preparing people to acquire the skills needed for the jobs of the future.
• Educational Preparedness: 
  • It measures how well countries are preparing their education systems for the jobs of the future.
• Economic Transformation: 
  • It measures the extent to which countries are preparing their workforce for the industries of the future and adapting to economic changes.