SINGAPORE: The Little Red Dot is among the top ten best ‘workation’ destinations for hybrid workers across the globe, ranking seventh on the second annual survey from the International Workplace Group (IWG). In Asia, only Beijing, which took fourth place on the list, bested Singapore.
Budapest took the top spot in IWG’s rankings for 2024, unseating Barcelona, which, along with Rio de Janeiro, is this year’s runner-up. Beijing, Lisbon, New York, Singapore, Jakarta, Los Angeles, and Milan round out the top 10.
Singapore took a particularly big leap in the rankings, rising from 21st place in 2023 to seventh in this year’s list. Other cities in Asia were also included in the study, such as Mumbai, which ranked 14th, Manila (16th), and Hong Kong (19th).
“Hybrid workers will benefit from a thriving digital nomad community, bolstered by local government investments to make the city more attractive for remote workers, including city-wide 5G coverage and a new digital nomad visa,” said IWG, a global flexible workspace provider.
The company began ranking top workation spots last year, giving 26 cities around the globe a grade between 1 and 10 based on the following categories: climate, culture, accommodation, transport, food and drink, happiness, broadband speed, and the availability of flexible workspace.
Regarding Hungary’s capital, with its score of 75, IWG said in a statement: “Securing high marks for transport and accommodation prices, broadband speeds, and availability of flexible workspaces, Budapest stands out as the top destination for hybrid workers in 2024.”
And about Barcelona, which received 73.5 points, the company wrote, “Spain’s wide-ranging digital nomad visa, along with Barcelona’s excellent transportation infrastructure and relatively affordable cost of living, ensures it remains a prime workcation destination.”
Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, received high marks for accommodation, food, transport costs, and affordable but strong broadband speeds.
The company’s founder and CEO, Mark Dixon, said he’s unsurprised by the continued popularity of hybrid work, given that it’s easier than ever due to cloud technology. Furthermore, Mr Dixon expects the trend to increase even more and said that he expects more companies to enshrine flexible working arrangements that are designed to not only increase their appeal to would-be employees but also ensure that workers’ sense of work-life balance improves.
IGW’s study showed that nearly 3 in 4 hybrid workers (74 per cent) said that a “work-from-anywhere” (WFA) policy is a key measure for considering a new job. Three out of four workers said as well that WFA policies increase job satisfaction. /TISG