Mercer has today released its latest Mercer’s 21st annual Quality of Living survey which Dublin ranked 33rd overall, ahead of London (41), Edinburgh (45), Glasgow (48), Birmingham (49), Aberdeen (57), and Belfast (64).
Mercer’s authoritative survey is one of the most comprehensive of its type in the world and is conducted annually to enable multinational companies and other organisations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.
Quality of living is determined by many factors, from access to public transport and traffic congestion levels, to the availability of housing and international schools, to a city’s cultural scene.
Mercer’s 21st annual Quality of Living survey shows that trade tensions and populist undercurrents continue to dominate the global economic climate. Combined with the spectre of monetary policy tightening and volatility looming over markets, international businesses are under more pressure than ever to get their overseas operations right.
The report shows that many cities around the world still offer attractive environments in which to do business, and the best understand that the quality of living is an essential component of a city’s attractiveness for businesses and mobile talent.
Globally, Vienna tops the ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by Zurich (2). In joint third place are Auckland, Munich and Vancouver – the highest ranking city in North America for the last 10 years.
Dublin (33) remains the highest ranked city for quality of living in the UK and Ireland, and improved from 34th place last year. Dublin is followed by London (41), Edinburgh (45), Glasgow (48), Birmingham (49), Aberdeen (57), and Belfast (64). Dublin also ranks highest in the UK and Ireland for safety (32) followed by Edinburgh (36), Aberdeen (36), Glasgow (36), Birmingham (53), Belfast (61) and London (64).
Commenting on the results, Senior Reward and Mobility consultant for Mercer in Ireland, Noel O’Connor said, "Dublin continues to score highly for quality of living and safety in this year’s rankings. As the potential effects of Brexit continue to evolve it’s important that Dublin sustains its position as an attractive location for multinational organisations."
He added, "Companies are looking for urban centres to attract and retain talent, and a high quality of living is essential to this. Some of the factors placing Dublin in 33rd place include a stable poitical environment, lower levels of air pollution and a strong socio-cultural environment. While Dublin has opportunities for improvement with regard to transportation and the availability of international schools, the results once again demonstrate that it is an attractive location for international businesses to send their employees."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
