Best Cities to Find a Job
Each year, more and more people decide that they want to really step outside of their comfort zone and move abroad. While many people embrace the opportunity to study internationally, a growing number find that they love living abroad so much that they decide to find a job there as well. Others find that they want to change careers, become a digital nomad and even intern at a hip young startup or a corporation with a renowned global impact. And with so many options and life-changing benefits for eager professionals abroad, it’s very easy to understand why!
But, how do you know which amazing international city offers the best job for you? And what kind of quality of life and safety conditions can you hope to experience once you’re there? It’s a fact that how successful your job search will be could depend largely on where you want to work, so it’s best to be as well-educated as you can about your options. We have searched through data for hundreds of cities, and have comprised a listing of the top 100.
Top cities to find employment around the globe
See below the top 100 ranking based on the total score. Click here for the ranking per number of Available Jobs, Average Salary, Cost of Living, Startup Score, Quality of Life, and Open-mindedness. To find out more how these categories were developed, please see the methodology below.
Methodology
The Best Cities to Find a Job index was created using city-level public data. The final scores were calculated by category, using a standardized value to rank cities based on their total average score. There is no maximum number of points, meaning cities can keep climbing the ranking if they score well in each category. Where limited data was available, certain cities were excluded to maintain consistency. Each category was scored according to the latest data available from reputable sources.
Available jobs
When looking for a job, the first thing you probably think of is: where can I find a job that’s right for me? This quantitative metric was developed by researching the number of job openings on LinkedIn. The more job openings a city has, the more likely you will find something that fits you. It’s also a good indication of how a city is doing: a high number of available jobs is a sign of a city’s economic wellbeing.
Average salary
Being able to find a job is important, but once you land that contract, will it pay enough so you can afford to live in the city comfortably? To help job-seekers decide which city would fit them, this metric was developed to show the average monthly net salary (after tax). It’s not all about the money, but it’s nice to be able to pay your bills, right?
Cost of living
Living in the city can be expensive. For those looking to settle down abroad, it’s good to know just how far your monthly income will get you. This metric shows the estimation of consumer goods prices, including monthly rent. In other words, how expensive it is to live and eat in a particular city?
Startup Score
Cities that have a thriving startup community, or a large number of international companies, tend to have more jobs available for internationals, therefore more processes to help them feel at home in the city. For this metric, we combined previous rankings based on the Top Cities for Startups, Best Cities for Expats and Most Influential Cities in the World.
Quality of Life
Before deciding on a city to move to, it’s important to consider what it will be like to live there long-term. This means assuring yourself that certain basic needs will be met. For this metric, we looked at three variables: 1. Safety - the level of reported crime as well as citizens’ greater sense of safety 2. Health - the quality of care and the (overall) satisfaction with medical institutions 3. Environmental - is there a high or low level of pollution?
Open-mindedness
This metric is an indication of how open-minded and accepting the population of a particular city is. When moving abroad, it’s important that you, as an international, feel welcome in a city. Factors included in this metric are: the English-speaking ability of the locals, friendliness to foreigners, racial tolerance, female-friendliness, and LGBTQI-friendliness.
Sources
The Best Cities to Find a Job ranking was calculated by HousingAnywhere's Data Scientists Adrian Promediaz and Julian Smidek, based on the following data:
- Available jobs: Job openings posted on LinkedIn.com, December 2018
- City Startup Score: Top Cities for Startups, Startup Ecosystems Ranking Report 2017 by Startup Blink, The Best & Worst Cities for Expats in 2018 report by Internations.org, Most Influential Cities in the World 2018 report by AT Kearney,
- Salary: Numbeo: Average Monthly Net Salary per City, 2018 data
- Quality of Life: Numbeo: Quality of Life per City, 2018 data
- Open-Mindedness: Nomadlist, 2018 data
Disclaimer
We developed this ranking to give an idea of which cities would be a good fit for job-seekers who are hoping to relocate within the same country or even abroad. For some of you, certain cities will be a better match, depending on your expertise or individual preferences not taken into account in this ranking. By providing a comparison between cities, we aim to help young professionals and future graduates make a well-educated decision for their next career move. Of course, data is always developing and can always be discussed. If you have questions or input for the ranking - feel free to reach out!
About HousingAnywhere
HousingAnywhere is the world's largest housing platform for international students and young professionals with over 50,000 active advertisements and over 5 million users in over 60 countries. The housing platform allows tenants to interact directly with landlords and enter into medium-term rental agreements. More than 160 partner universities recommend their students to use the HousingAnywhere platform. The Rotterdam-based platform currently employs 90 people.
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