Have you been looking for a location where you can combine work and leisure? Look no further.
The Hungarian capital of Budapest has topped the list of the world’s best cities for work and holiday, or “workcation”, compiled by the flexible and hybrid workplace operator International Working Group.
The results are based on internal research as well as findings from a survey of 1,000 hybrid office workers worldwide.
Hybrid and remote working, which gained traction during Covid-19 as businesses around the world temporarily closed offices to comply with health standards, has become a permanent arrangement for many companies.
The number of people who work from home quintupled between 2019 and 2023, and 40% of US workers today work remotely at least one day a week, according to a report published by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
“Thanks to cloud technology that can be anywhere in the world, provided a high-quality internet connection is available… it’s no wonder that more and more people are embracing the idea of combining work with travel, whether it’s just a few days until the end of vacation or a few months as a digital nomad,” said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of International Workplace Group.
According to the IWG report, 84% of hybrid workers have either extended or would consider extending their vacation to work remotely, while 75% said that “the freedom to be able to work from anywhere enhances their job satisfaction ».
The IWG report compared 30 cities worldwide and rates them on a scale of 10 in the following categories:
- Climate
- Cultivation
- Accommodation
- Transport
- Food
- Accommodation (cost of a coffee)
- Happiness
- Broadband speed
- Viability
- Availability of flexible workspaces
This criterion was chosen to “help measure how comfortable or conducive the overseas environments will be, especially when factoring in work responsibilities,” Dixon told CNBC Make It.
“In addition to basic sustainability requirements (accommodation, transport and food etc.), there are critical issues that can have a significant impact on a worker’s productivity, such as broadband and the availability of flexible workspaces,” he said.
Budapest topped this year’s list, securing high scores in the categories of accommodation (9.5/10), transport (9.5/10), sustainability (8.5/10) and broadband speed (8/10).
The Hungarian capital is “renowned for its classical architecture, attracting around 12 million international tourists annually… [and] it has over 200 museums and galleries, vibrant neighborhoods and plenty of greenery, making it an ideal choice for digital nomads,” according to the report.
The top 10 cities to work in, according to IWG:
- Budapest
- Barcelona
- Rio de Janeiro
- Beijing
- Lisbon
- New York
- Singapore
- Jakarta
- LA
- Milan
Barcelona, which topped the list last year, remains a favorite among hybrid workers. Along with his digital nomad Visareliable transport infrastructure and a comparatively affordable cost of living, the Spanish city also offers a “vibrant atmosphere, stunning architecture and almost year-round sunshine”, the report says.
Barcelona scored highly in the transport (9/10), climate (8.5/10) and accommodation (8.5/10) categories, which measures the cost of a monthly transport card, the total hours of sunshine per year and the average rent per month, respectively.
Cities in Asia were also featured prominently in this year’s list with Beijing, Singapore and Jakarta making the top 10. Beijing fell one place this year to fourth place.
Meanwhile, Singapore climbed an impressive 14 places from last year to seventh place. The city-state scored excellent in the broadband quality (10/10) and liveability (9/10) categories.
Singapore, which prides itself on the second best airport in the worldit serves as the ‘global gateway to Southeast Asia’, making it an attractive destination for travelers. 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 is set to accelerate further and we will continue to see more and more companies adopting WFA policies to improve employees’ work-life balance and increase their attractiveness as an employer,” said Dixon.
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