Sydney retains 10th ranked in international quality of living survey
Australian cities continue to offer the world’s highest quality of living and remain attractive destinations for expatriates on assignment, according to Mercer’s 20th annual Quality of Living survey.
However, it was also revealed that cities in emerging markets, though challenged by economic and political turmoil, are catching up with top ranking cities following decades of investing in infrastructure, recreational facilities and housing in order to attract talent and multinational businesses.
This year, Vienna tops the ranking for the 9th year running and is followed by Zurich (2), Auckland and Munich in joint 3rd place.
In 10th place, Sydney ranked highest for Australia, followed closely by Melbourne at 16th place.
Just missing out on the top 20 was Perth at 21, followed by Adelaide (29), Canberra (30) and Brisbane (37).
Simon Kennedy, Mercer’s Market Insights Leader in Australia said that Australian cities continue to rank high due to factors such as stable political and social environment, strong infrastructure, good quality housing and recreational facilities combined with excellent medical and health services which attract international talent and businesses.
“Today’s workplace is rapidly changing as we see more and more companies moving workers abroad,” said Kennedy.
“However, to successfully transition employees to new locations, companies must understand the demands of operating in a contemporary VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment. Importantly, companies need to be mindful of not only the costs associated with expatriate postings, but the quality of life provided by the new locations.”
- All Australian cities within the global top 40; Sydney and Melbourne at 10 and 16 respectively
- Vienna ranks highest for quality of living for the 9th year in a row
- Mercer’s 20th annual Quality of Living survey provides rankings for more than 450 cities throughout the world; this year’s ranking includes 231 of these cities