Based on the findings from the newest Location Ratings survey done by human resources consultancy company, ECA International, Singapore remains the most liveable city for East Asian expats for the 15th year consecutively.
On Tuesday (11 Feb), Lee Quane, the ECA International’s regional director for Asia remarked that “Singapore boasts an excellent infrastructure and amenities across the board, maintains a low crime rate and has a large expatriate community as well… These aspects attribute to Singapore’s prime spot in the rankings, and the country will most likely continue to hold the top position in the considerable future.”
According to ECA’s newest Location Ratings survey, Hong Kong’s ranking fell by 52 places and it now ranks as the 93rd most liveable location for overseas workers coming from other places in East Asia. Countries such as Seoul and Taipei are now ranked higher than Hong Kong.
Mr Quane added that “the scale of Hong Kong’s fall in our rankings is unprecedented and is a consequence of ongoing socio-political tensions in the city.”
In addition to this, he also noted that “Not only are the heightened political tensions worrying for expatriates living in the region, the protests that have regularly taken place since mid-2019 have had a negative effect on areas of everyday life, which are often taken for granted. This includes disruptions to Hong Kong’s transportation infrastructure and an increase in crime rates since the protests began.”
Outside of Asia, the rankings for all Australian cities fell. However, the survey still shows that all seven Australian locations in the list are still features the top 30 destinations for East Asian workers.
According to Mr Quane, due to the increased level of threat of potential terrorism, this year’s rankings have fallen. Nevertheless, cities such as Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney remain in the top 10 rankings, he added.
As for the most liveable place for East Asian expatriates outside of the Asia Pacific region, Copenhagen is still ranked as the most liveable place. Similar to Yokohama, Japan, Copenhagen is ranked ninth.
The survey finds that this year, cities in the US have both increased and dropped in rankings. Due to the lower rate of violent crime in recent years, cities in San Francisco and New York has risen in rankings and it is now safer to expats to move freely all over the cities. On the other hand, for cities like Boston, the ranking fell due to the greater competition for available housing that overseas workers have to deal with.
According to ECA, the overall assessment of liveability in the survey is done by taking into account factors such as political tensions and air quality, climate, personal safety, availability of health services, infrastructure, housing and utilities, access to a social network and leisure facilities, and isolation.
