Durban voted best for quality of life

Durban once again tops the list of South African cities in the annual Mercer Quality of Living survey.

Durban is ranked 87th globally‚ followed by Cape Town in 94th place and Johannesburg in 96th.

The survey aids multinational companies to set benchmarks to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.

This is the fourth consecutive year Durban has beaten out the other economic hubs.

Vienna tops Mercer’s list‚ followed by Zurich‚ Auckland‚ Munich and Vancouver.

The top five highest-ranked cities in the Middle East and Africa region were Dubai‚ Abu Dhabi‚ Port Louis‚ Durban‚ and Cape Town.

Singapore is the highest ranking Asian city at 25 while Montevideo is the highest ranking Latin American city.

Singapore also tops the infrastructure ranking.

Ilya Bonic‚ senior partner and president of Mercer’s Career business‚ said that easy access to transportation‚ reliable electricity‚ and drinkable water are all important considerations when determining hardship allowances based on differences between a given assignee’s home and host locations.

“Economic instability‚ social unrest‚ and growing political upheaval all add to the complex challenge multinational companies face when analysing quality of living for their expatriate workforce‚” he said.

“For multinationals and governments it is vital to have quality of living information that is accurate‚ detailed‚ and reliable. It not only enables these employers to compensate employees appropriately‚ but it also provides a planning benchmark and insights into the often-sensitive operational environment that surrounds their workforce.

“In uncertain times‚ organisations that plan to establish themselves and send staff to a new location should ensure they get a complete picture of the city‚ including its viability as a business location and its attractiveness to key talent‚” he added.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE