Melbourne achieved great Buzz scores, and rose overall since 2019 from position 27 to 9. This was driven specifically by good scores in the qualitative survey and is likely related to the government’s financial support of small-medium-sized businesses to combat the economic impact of bushfires and Covid-19. Independently of the government’s economic support, there is a clear unique offering coming from the quality of life. The coastal city enjoys a clean environment, good city management, rich agriculture, and sustainable practices.

Powered by investment leading up to the 2021 Olympics, Tokyo has made it to the Top Ten in our 2021 City Brand Barometer. It has come through the pandemic well, moving up 14 spots from 24th in 2019 to 10th in 2021. The largest metropolis in the world and one of the world’s most liveable cities, Tokyo is poised to compete as a business destination globally in the years to come. With a rich culture, quality of life and the Asian headquarters for global companies such as Apple, Indeed, and Netflix, Tokyo is an important talent hub employing locals and attracting a great number of foreign residents.

Despite its renown as one of the most ‘liveable’ cities on the planet, it has been a particularly difficult 12 months for Amsterdam. A high GDP and status as ‘the gateway to Europe’ could not save the Dutch capital from dropping 7 places in our 2021 City Barometer rankings. For a city normally renowned for its efficiency and organisation, it’s subpar resilience to the pandemic unfortunately has dragged Amsterdam down in the rankings.

You can’t speak about working in San Francisco without mentioning the tech giants that solidified the city as the Mecca for start-ups. Google, Yahoo, Apple, Tesla, to name a few, all have headquarters in San Francisco; however, these companies may have inadvertently contributed to a dip in the city’s popularity. With some of the most flexible remote working policies, these companies are leading the way in the location-agnostic approach to working that is appearing all over the United States. Cities like San Francisco, with some of the highest living expenses, rent prices, and taxes, are particularly vulnerable to losing a large portion of their residents.

Ranking in the Top Ten for Buzz, Madrid is earning a reputation as a top destination for entrepreneurs and ambitious professionals looking to make the most of the city’s work-to live, rather than live-to-work culture. It’s worth noting that Spain’s capital has not always been seen as a booming business capital. However, the working culture and professional landscape of Madrid has transformed over the past decade, becoming a hub for coworking spaces and a leader in start-up growth.

A low Buzz score let Copenhagen down, however, it remains the top-performing Scandinavian city in 24th place (narrowly edging out Oslo in 25th and Stockholm in 26th). Only Singapore had a stronger overall asset rating, but the city’s Buzz score was the lowest inside the Top 50, suggesting Copenhagen’s city brand needs to work harder to compete on the world stage and do the place justice.

Ranked 34th overall, Seoul is in the Top Ten cities in terms of Assets score but is pulled down by a low Buzz score. As the capital city of South Korea, a country leading in Smart City development according to the World Bank, Seoul has an untapped potential to become a top-of-mind business destination. As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong and tensions rise, global media companies have been looking to Seoul as their Asia headquarters. With the “Korean wave” and rising soft power derived from pop culture such as K-beauty and K-Pop, experts say that South Korea’s “cool” has boosted its business profile.

According to our 2021 barometer, Mexico City suffered more than any other city from the pandemic in the past year. In spite of its position at the very bottom of global Covid-19 resilience scoring, the city remained at the top of the pile in the Latin American region. The megalopolis ranked highly in GDP per capita and Ease of Doing Business compared with many of its continental rivals, while also enjoying the most Buzz – signaling a potential cause for optimism looking forward.