Of the 49 Asian cities assessed in the latest Location Ratings for expatriate living conditions published by ECA International, Singapore, the Japanese city of Kobe, and Hong Kong rank as the top three cities in Asia in terms of liveability. Kobe has overtaken Tokyo and Yokohama, which both dropped one place in the regional ranking as a consequence of fallout from last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in north-east Japan.
Hong Kong has jumped from fifth to third place, more as a result of changed circumstances in other cities in the region, rather than any significant improvement in its own liveability score. Updated annually, the International Location Ratings system helps companies establish appropriate expatriate allowances to compensate for the level of adjustment required to complete an assignment. It objectively evaluates a host of factors to form an assessment of the overall quality of living in over 400 locations worldwide. These factors include: climate; availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to social networks and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal safety; political tensions and air quality. The system recognises that where an employee is going from and to can affect the level of adaptation required on the part of the assignee for some of these factors.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
