Singapore Ranked 'Top Asian City' For Expats
Financial Times
By Andrew Taylor in London
April 10 2006
Singapore has been rated the top Asian city for quality of life for expatriates, according to a survey of more than 200 world cities.
Asian centres ranked well behind continental European cities, according to the study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The survey measured quality of life on the basis of personal safety, health and education facilities, transport and social, economic, environmental and political factors. New York, with a score of 100, was used as a base line.
“Moving abroad can be a big upheaval for expatriates and their families so international assignments tend to carry large price tags, particularly if they are in cities with low living standards facing political unrest or terrorist threats,” Mercer said.
“When multinational companies set up expatriate assignments they have to provide attractive reward packages to compensate employees for any negative changes to their quality of living.”
Zurich held top slot in the survey with a score of 108.2 – only just ahead of Geneva, with a score of 108.1. Vancouver, with 107.7, was in third place. Auckland (5th) and Sydney (9th) were the only other non-European centres in the top 10.
Singapore was in 34th place with a score of 102.5, just one position ahead of Tokyo on 102.3. Yokohama was 37th.
All three Asian cities were placed ahead of New York (39th) and London (46th), which have suffered serious terrorist attacks in recent years. The two cities also received lower marks for their crime rates, air quality and traffic congestion. US and UK relationships with other countries, particularly in the Middle East, were also poor, Mercer said.
The group also had doubts about Singapore’s relationship with some of its neighbours but said the city had scored heavily for the quality of its international airport, banking services, low crime rate and health facilities.
Hong Kong’s modern and efficient infrastructure, including its airport, was considered to be “one of best in the world”. This helped the city improve its ranking from 70th to 68th.
The top-ranking city on the Chinese mainland was Shanghai (103rd). “Beijing and Shanghai are on the rise and should experience rapid improvements in quality of living in the coming years. This is mainly due to greater international investment driven by the availability and lower cost of labour and manufacturing expertise,” Mercer said.
Cities in India, generally ranked lower than their Chinese counterparts, were also showing signs of development. “The quality of living in Indian cites such as Mumbai (150th) and Bangalore (153rd) is increasing slowly but steadily, primarily due to India’s improved political relationships with other countries.”
By Andrew Taylor in London
April 10 2006
Singapore has been rated the top Asian city for quality of life for expatriates, according to a survey of more than 200 world cities.
Asian centres ranked well behind continental European cities, according to the study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The survey measured quality of life on the basis of personal safety, health and education facilities, transport and social, economic, environmental and political factors. New York, with a score of 100, was used as a base line.
“Moving abroad can be a big upheaval for expatriates and their families so international assignments tend to carry large price tags, particularly if they are in cities with low living standards facing political unrest or terrorist threats,” Mercer said.
“When multinational companies set up expatriate assignments they have to provide attractive reward packages to compensate employees for any negative changes to their quality of living.”
Zurich held top slot in the survey with a score of 108.2 – only just ahead of Geneva, with a score of 108.1. Vancouver, with 107.7, was in third place. Auckland (5th) and Sydney (9th) were the only other non-European centres in the top 10.
Singapore was in 34th place with a score of 102.5, just one position ahead of Tokyo on 102.3. Yokohama was 37th.
All three Asian cities were placed ahead of New York (39th) and London (46th), which have suffered serious terrorist attacks in recent years. The two cities also received lower marks for their crime rates, air quality and traffic congestion. US and UK relationships with other countries, particularly in the Middle East, were also poor, Mercer said.
The group also had doubts about Singapore’s relationship with some of its neighbours but said the city had scored heavily for the quality of its international airport, banking services, low crime rate and health facilities.
Hong Kong’s modern and efficient infrastructure, including its airport, was considered to be “one of best in the world”. This helped the city improve its ranking from 70th to 68th.
The top-ranking city on the Chinese mainland was Shanghai (103rd). “Beijing and Shanghai are on the rise and should experience rapid improvements in quality of living in the coming years. This is mainly due to greater international investment driven by the availability and lower cost of labour and manufacturing expertise,” Mercer said.
Cities in India, generally ranked lower than their Chinese counterparts, were also showing signs of development. “The quality of living in Indian cites such as Mumbai (150th) and Bangalore (153rd) is increasing slowly but steadily, primarily due to India’s improved political relationships with other countries.”
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