Are you searching for a spot where you may mix work and leisure? Then you may have come to the appropriate place.
The Hungarian capital Budapest tops the list of the world's best cities for working and vacationing, or “workcation,” compiled by the operator of flexible and hybrid workspaces. International Workplace Group.
The results are based on internal research and the findings of a survey of 1,000 hybrid office employees worldwide.
Hybrid and distant work, which gained prominence throughout the Covid-19 pandemic when firms all over the world temporarily closed their offices to comply with health standards, has turn out to be a everlasting solution for a lot of firms.
The number of individuals working from home increased fivefold between 2019 and 2023, and 40% of U.S. employees currently earn a living from home at the very least at some point per week, in response to a report published by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
“Thanks to cloud technology, we can be anywhere in the world as long as there is a high-quality internet connection available. So it's no wonder that more and more people are coming up with the idea of combining work with travel, whether it's for a few days at the end of a vacation or a few months as a digital nomad,” said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of the International Workplace Group.
According to the IWG report, 84% of hybrid employees have prolonged their vacation time or would consider doing so to work remotely, and 75% said that “the freedom to work from anywhere increases their job satisfaction.”
The IWG report compared 30 cities all over the world and rated them on a scale of 10 in the next categories:
- climate
- culture
- Accommodation
- transport
- Eat
- Living expenses (cost of a coffee)
- Luck
- Broadband speed
- sustainability
- Availability of flexible workspaces
This criterion was chosen to “measure how pleasant or conducive the environment abroad will be, particularly considering work responsibilities,” Dixon told CNBC Make It.
“In addition to basic quality of life requirements (accommodation, transportation, food, etc.), there are critical considerations that can have a significant impact on a worker's productivity, such as broadband and the availability of flexible workspaces,” he said.
Budapest tops the list this yr, securing high scores within the categories of accommodation (9.5/10), transport (9.5/10), sustainability (8.5/10) and broadband speed (8/10).
The Hungarian capital is “famous for its classical architecture and attracts around 12 million international tourists every year…” [and] offers over 200 museums and galleries, vibrant neighborhoods and spacious green spaces, making it a great selection for digital nomads,” the report says.
The 10 best cities for a workcation according to IWG:
- Budapest
- Barcelona
- Rio de Janeiro
- Beijing
- Lisbon
- new York
- Singapore
- Jakarta
- THE
- Milan
Barcelona, which topped the list last year, remains a favorite among hybrid workers. Along with its digital nomad visaa reliable transport infrastructure and comparatively affordable cost of living, the Spanish city also offers “a full of life atmosphere, stunning architecture and almost year-round sunshine,” the report says.
Barcelona scored well in the categories of transport (9/10), climate (8.5/10) and accommodation (8.5/10), which measure the cost of a monthly public transport pass, the total number of hours of sunshine per year and the average rent per month.
Cities in Asia were Beijing, Singapore and Jakarta also feature prominently in this year's list, making it into the top 10. Beijing dropped one place this year and is now in fourth place.
Singapore, on the other hand, was able to improve by an impressive 14 places compared to the previous year and is now in 7th place. The city-state performed particularly well in the categories of broadband quality (10/10) and sustainability (9/10).
Singapore, which is proud of the second best airport in the worldserves as a “global gateway to Southeast Asia,” making it an attractive travel destination. Singapore was also named the happiest country in Asia for the second year in a row and is on track to offer island-wide 5G coverage by 2025, according to the IWG.
“This trend will continue to accelerate and we will continue to see more and more companies adopting WFA policies to improve their employees’ work-life balance and increase their attractiveness as an employer,” said Dixon.
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