New York is the lowest ‘risk’ city in the world in terms of recruiting, employing and relocating employees according to rankings released today by Aon Hewitt, a global human resources business. It is the second consecutive year that New York has held the title because of its world-class educational institutions, training facilities and the availability of a large pool of qualified and experienced talent.
The top Australian city is Melbourne at 21 equal with cities such as Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle.
The Risk Index measures the risks that organisations face with recruitment, employment and relocation in 138 cities worldwide by analysing factors such as demographics, access to education, talent development, employment practices and government regulation.
According to Sydney-based executive search manager, Maria Forrest, Australia’s rating shows how challenging it is for some employers to compete for the most talented people.
“We all think of Australia as having wonderful lifestyle and everyone wants to work here. But for a so-called global city such as Sydney, but there are still significant barriers to the ‘globalisation’ of the labour market in Australia. Recent talk of the 457 visa issues is a case in point,” she says.
“Even the Prime Minister felt it necessary to employ an English communications expert because she obviously feels there are not sufficiently skilled or qualified people in that field. I must say, from where I sit in my industry in executive search, I find that hard to believe. There are many excellent communications/public affairs people in Australia.
"But the point is, she made that judgement as an employer, and she was able to get what she wanted. It's not always that easy, and while we all want to see Australians in Australian jobs, sometimes there are just not sufficiently skilled or qualified people who are willing to move interstate or internationally."
Aon notes that cities with “pro-business” employment policies and a continued focus on developing and improving education and training facilities tend to rank higher.
"Pro-business employment policies have a significant impact on people risk," said Richard Payne from Aon Hewitt Asia Pacific. "Where government policies support a more flexible approach to talent immigration, employment practices and the provision of social welfare, these cities are able to attract and retain a talent supply critical for businesses."
Joining New York in the top 5 are Singapore, Toronto, London and Montreal. Other Australian cities included in the ranking were Sydney (27th) and Perth (33rd) with Auckland 40th.
The highest risk cities in the world were located in Angola, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Yemen and – not surprisingly - Damascus. Mr Payne said the lack of a stable and transparent government continues to be the main obstacle to implement and enforce business-friendly employment practices in these cities.
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