Hong Kong only ranked at 71 in the global survey of 223 cities worldwide in the Mercer 2014 Quality of Living survey, designed to help multinational companies and other employers compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.
Singapore, on the other hand, ranked 25 globally and is the only Asian city to make it into the top 30, which continues to be dominated by Europe. Vienna claimed the top spot as the city with the world’s best quality of living, followed by Zurich, Auckland and Munich. Singapore was also ranked as the city with the best quality of living in Asia, followed by the four Japanese cities of Tokyo (43), Kobe (47), Yokohama (49), and Osaka (57) made up the Asia top 5.
Commenting on the findings, Slagin Parakatil, Senior Researcher, Mercer said, “Asia has a bigger range of quality-of-living standard amongst its cities than any other region. For many cities, such as those in South Korea, the quality of living is continually improving. But for others, such as some in China, issues like pervasive poor air pollution are eroding their quality of living.”
The escalating cost of expatriate housing, which is typically the biggest expense for employers looking to place talent abroad, may have played an important part in determining Hong Kong’s lower ranking. Elevated air pollution is also a rising concern in the city and one that has affected the city’s ranking in previous surveys.
The annual survey also takes into account issues such as infrastructure, crime levels and political environments, which can be detrimental to the daily lives of expatriate employees their families and local residents. Parakatil added, “To ensure that expatriate compensation packages reflect the local environment appropriately, employers need a clear picture of the quality of living in the cities where they operate.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
