BREXIT
Kate Fitzpatrick, Mercer’s global
mobility practice leader for the UK and Ireland, makes the point that, Brexit notwithstanding, all UK cities remain attractive locations for multinational companies and their employees, as they continue to rank highly for quality of living. “London leads the pack,” she
says, “in both the overall quality of living and this year’s supplementary city infrastructure ranking, with its multiple international airports and a large and comprehensive public transport network. The capital ’s only downfall in regard to infrastructure is heavy traffic congestion, which also contributes to the city’s low score for air quality and pollution.” Despite increased political and
f inancial volatility in Europe, many of its cities offer the world’s highest quality of living and remain attractive destinations for expanding business operations and sending expatriates on assignment, according to the survey. Of the cities examined in this article, Frankfurt takes seventh place for overall quality of living and joint second (with Munich) for city infrastructure. Beyond Europe, Australia continues
to rank highly for quality of living, with Sydney in tenth place and Melbourne in 16th. Sydney is ranked eighth for infrastructure. Singapore remains the highest-ranking city in the Asia- Pacif ic region, taking f irst place for city infrastructure and 25th for overall quality of living. Hong Kong is at No 71, and New York at No 44. We’ll be covering the locations
mentioned in this article on
relocateglobal.com and in future issues of Relocate magazine.
SINGAPORE
Cartus 2016 Global Mobility Policy and Practices Survey: Singapore No 4 in list of top destinations and No 5 in list of new countries to which employers have been sending assignees over the past two years. Cost of living a challenge for employees.
Lynne Roeder, Hays Singapore: “Singapore is a popular choice as a strategic regional hub for multinational corporations looking to expand in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia. With IT, life sciences, and banking and financial services as major driving forces behind a highly active recruitment market, businesses continue to display positive, albeit more cautious, hiring sentiments. Temporary and contract roles are increasingly prevalent solutions to work around headcount limitations. While overall wage pressure has decreased slightly in comparison with 2015, the local talent pool remains tight in high-skilled industries, placing upward wage pressure on roles in demand as employers seek to attract and retain talent.”
HONG KONG
Cartus 2016 Global Mobility Policy and Practices Survey: Hong Kong No 6 in list of top destinations.
Dean Stallard, Hays Hong Kong: “Being an open economy, Hong Kong can be susceptible to external factors. This is highlighted by slower GDP growth due to current global economic conditions, particularly in China. Hong Kong’s position as a leading global financial sector and regional hub remains stable, with continuous candidate demand and vacancy activity indicating positive business sentiment.
“While overall wage pressures have eased slightly in comparison with 2015, talent shortages and increasing regulations have resulted in a tightening in the labour market, and employers must be flexible and innovative to attract top talent.”
AUSTRALIA
Cartus 2016 Global Mobility Policy and Practices Survey: Australia No 3 in list of new countries to which employers have been sending assignees over the past two years. Challenges: demanding and paper-intensive immigration process, hard to establish corporate registration.
Nick Deligiannis, Hays Australia: “Australia’s economy is undergoing structural change as it successfully transitions from mining to the services sectors, particularly health, retail, tourism and education. Headcounts are growing, market buoyancy is evident, and employers report increased business activity. Given this sentiment, you’d expect commensurate salary pressure; however, employers instead remain cost-conscious. It remains to be seen how long this anomaly will last; already, turnover is rising and the shortage of candidates in certain high-skill industries is leading to some wage pressure. While far from a universal trend, this suggests that employers must not be complacent in the face of increasing skills shortages.”
16 | Re:locate | Spring 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
