Globalisation has erased borders as far as the work market is concerned, allowing people to look for career opportunities wherever they are in greatest supply. Rankings such as Movinga’s Cities of opportunities index have become a go-to starting point for anyone looking for a new opportunity. Work is becoming one of the main factors that push people to travel and even leave their home country to move permanently to another part of the world.
The method behind the index
Movinga created the index by analysing cities from OECD countries on the basis of five macro-categories (economic strength, quality of life, immigration, opportunities for women and opportunities for immigrants) and 14 micro-factors (from health costs to cost of living, freedoms for women and the level of immigration).
“Thanks to digitalisation, countries are able to attract qualified people from all four corners of the world,” explains Movinga CEO Finn Age Hänsel in an interview with Business Insider Italia. “This means that there is an unprecedented amount of opportunities out there for people in search of work. You should look at more than just salary levels. In cities with higher salaries, there are often higher taxes and additional costs such as health insurance. Moreover, it’s important to remember that salaries and real progression opportunities for women can really vary from city to city.”
Boston: the city with the best quality of life
The latest edition of Cities of opportunities crowns Boston as the best city in the world to work in. With a solid economy, high levels of disposable income and good conditions for women, it’s one of the most desirable places in the world for anyone looking for new employment opportunities – as well as a place that strikes the perfect balance between quality of life and career opportunities. With a population of just over 3.5 million, this renowned university has an average pro-capita income of nearly €72,000. Boston also scores highly in terms of quality of life and opportunities for women and young people.
Coming in second is Munich, in Germany, thanks in no small part to its exponential economic growth, while third place goes to Calgary in Canada, which scores well in terms of bureaucracy and health.
Delving into the specifics, Singapore comes out on top in terms of economic solidity and efficacy of government policies (it gets a perfect 10/10 for this particular category). Staying in Asia, Hong Kong catches the eye with the highest GDP growth rate – although this is counterbalanced by the elevated cost of living.
The best city for foreign workers and young people is Dubai, although it’s not so welcoming for women: the city in the UAE comes last in terms of gender salary disparity and freedoms for women.
If you’re looking for a city with a low cost of living, Monterrey, in Mexico, is the place to aim for, while London is the perfect place to launch a start-up. Prague is attractive for the youngest workers, while Krakow and Warsaw boast the highest employment rates for expats.