AMSTERDAM SECOND ON THE EXPAT LIST

Amsterdam is full of them: expats. It is therefore not surprising that Amsterdam ranks second globally for expats seeking to work.

Amsterdam is full of them: expats. Every large company employs a few of them and this group is an indispensable part of the Amsterdam street scene. It is therefore not surprising that the capital takes second place in the rankings expats with the most desirable places in the world to work.Text: Patrick Stoffer

AMSTERDAM IN SECOND PLACE

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network published a study this week showing that Amsterdam silver scores in the ranking of the most desirable places for expats to get started. Amsterdam is lagging behind London on, which surprisingly after the Brexit still takes the cake. Amsterdam leaves behind million-dollar cities such as New York, Paris and Singapore in this ranking.

Amsterdam, the metropolis of the Low Countries, would be attractive due to its dynamic startup scenes and the city's image as an innovation hub. 200.000 highly educated people participated in the survey, fifteen percent of whom indicated that they preferred Amsterdam as their favorite home base to work. Amsterdam achieved an increase of three percentage points compared to the 2018 survey.

The sun-drenched desert city Dubai Amsterdam follows in third place, behind which Berlin joins with a decline of 13 percent. London remains at the top with eighteen percent, due to its worldwide name and fame. The attraction within the British Commonwealth also plays a key role in this. New York and Barcelona are the notable decliners, according to the research.

As a country, Canada tops the list, dethroning the United States. The decline in popularity is mainly due to the approach to the corona epidemic and the political and social unrest that the country has faced.

However, potential expats appear to be slightly more reluctant to actually move abroad. Major cause: the corona crisis and the nationalist immigration policy. The majority indicate that they prefer to work for an employer virtually so that they do not have to leave family and friends behind. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are the most obvious. At 43 percent, the Netherlands is below the global average, but Amsterdam still enjoys high popularity as a city.Image: Amsterdam Zuidas