Singapore Tops List Of Asian Cities For Expats

[george]

Singapore tops list of Asian cities for expats

It rises to joint 33rd spot with Tokyo in world ranking of the best cities for foreigners to live and work in; Zurich and Geneva head list

SINGAPORE has climbed a few spots in a global survey to tie with Tokyo as the most attractive Asian city for expatriates to live and work in.

The latest annual survey by international human resources consultancy Mercer examined the overall quality of life in 215 cities worldwide.

The Republic jumped three places from last year's survey to joint 33rd position with Tokyo, ranked 26th last year, in a ranking dominated in the upper spots by European, American and Australasian cities.

Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva jointly took first place.

Cities were ranked by Mercer staff, using New York as the benchmark with a rating of 100, based on a set of 39 quality of life criteria, including personal safety and health, education, transport, recreation and housing.

Singapore scored 101, the same as last year. This means the quality of life here is regarded as better than in New York.

Mercer Consulting Singapore's Simon Alford said that it was notable that Singapore had maintained its appeal despite a difficult year with Sars, while cities in Japan, along with Kuala Lumpur, had dropped in the rankings. KL dropped from 73rd to 75th.

Mr Renato Sirtori, managing director of STMicroelectronics, one of the largest foreign investors in Singapore, said the country's political stability is 'a big plus point'.

'Ability to provide a pro-business environment as well as having a strong intellectual property protection culture and system' were among key factors attracting multinational companies to locate here, said Mr Sirtori. He is also the chairman of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, the oldest business chamber in the country.

At the American Chamber of Commerce, executive director Nicholas de Boursac, who has been here for 12 years, said: 'Singapore is a great place to live. It's safe and clean. Senior managers can go around the region on their business knowing that their families will thrive here.'

The next best performing Asian city outside Japan was Hong Kong, which managed to hold onto its No 70 ranking.

Bangkok was well down the list at No 102, and Jakarta fared even worse, at 139th spot.

The analysis, covering 215 cities, is done to help governments and major firms place employees on international assignments.

Geneva's move up to joint first place with Zurich this year from second position last year takes account of its schools, where education standards, both in public and private institutions, are now rated among the best in the world, said Mercer.

Australian and New Zealand cities scored very highly, just like last year.

Sydney and Auckland were in joint fifth position, while Melbourne moved up from 15th place last year to 12th position this year, as a result of improved law enforcement. Perth was in 20th place.

Ireland's Dublin was ranked 23rd, the same as last year.

American cities slipped in the latest rankings, as tighter restrictions have been imposed on entry to the country. Increased security checks on arrival and departure from the country can be very time-consuming for expatriates, the human resources consultancy pointed out.

Baghdad is now the world's least attractive city for expatriates. Its score dropped from 30.5 last year to 14.5 because of ongoing concerns over security and precarious infrastructure.

--Straits Times 2004-03-02