New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore ranked as the best countries to find skilled talent, according to the new Total Workforce Index released today by ManpowerGroup Solutions, a division of ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN). The index measures and compares the relative ease of sourcing, hiring and retaining a workforce in 75 labor markets worldwide and evaluates more than 90 factors across four key categories: skills availability, cost efficiency, regulation and productivity.

The top-five countries, which also include Canada and the US, are most attractive for employers because of effective regulation, skilled workers and high productivity.

In the Americas region, Canada and the US held the top two positions due to the stable maturity of their workforce. They were followed by Chile, Uruguay and Mexico.

However, turning back to the global rankings in the index, the lowest-ranked countries across the global index are also located in the Americas; Paraguay, Brazil, Honduras, Bolivia and Venezuela.

“The global rankings using TWI demonstrate that no country is perfect when it comes to creating an environment for organizations to quickly set up shop,” said Kate Donovan, senior VP of ManpowerGroup Solutions. “However, we can see those that prioritize effective labor regulation, skills and access to talent — Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the US — are leading the way.”

The top-10 countries and index scores include:

1. New Zealand: 2.99
2. Hong Kong: 2.97
3. Singapore: 2.96
4. United States: 2.88
5. Canada: 2.84
6. Ireland: 2.81
7. United Kingdom: 2.73
8. United Arab Emirates: 2.71
9. Israel: 2.69
10. Denmark: 2.62