LONDON: The booming energy in Mumbai or Delhi has failed to make the cities among the world's most desired places to work.
UK's capital city - London has emerged as the most desired place in the world to work beating New York and Paris, according to a report from The Boston Consulting Group that surveyed more than 200,000 people from 188 countries.
Not a single India city figures in the list according to which nearly one in six of those questioned (16%) want to work in London.
The close second is NY (12%), Paris (9%), Sydney (5.2%), Madrid (5%), Berlin (4.6%), Barcelona (4.4%), Toronto (4.2%), Singapore (3.9%) and Rome (3.5%).
Among workers in large economies — the so-called G20—the US is often the most -popular destination. Indians put the US first as a possible work destination.
The US is the second most popular work destination for people from China after the UK.
French, Indian and Chinese respondents are also positively disposed toward work opportunities in the UK, with 53% of people from France, 43% of people from India, and 42% of people from China saying they would consider work opportunities there.
The 2011 census showed there are 542,857 people of Indian origin living in London.
Gordon Innes, chief executive of London & Partners, the Mayor of London's promotional company for the city, said "This survey is a great endorsement of London's many strengths, which are recognised by people around the world.
London is a truly international city that attracts not only the world's leading companies, but also its brightest people, and it is no surprise that so many want to live and work here. London offers superb culture, amenities, transport links and excellent quality of life, and is already home to a large populations of people from all over the world, including India".
Among non-English-speaking countries, Germany (named by 33% of respondents), Switzerland (29%) and France (29%) have the most appeal.
The Asia-Pacific region doesn't generate as much interest as a possible work destination as the US or Europe, largely because of the perceived difficulty of learning Asian languages (a perception that is particularly strong in Europe and the Americas, where most of the survey participants are based). China, for instance, isn't the top work destination for people in any of the G20 countries, and Japan ranks first only among Indonesians.
However, some fast-growing Asian countries are starting to reclaim workers they have lost.
The report said "London and New York are the metropolises that came up most often when we asked survey respondents which cities they would consider moving to for work. This is probably no surprise: in addition to being global centres of business and culture, London and New York have the biggest foreign-born populations of any cities in the world, with about 3 million foreign-born people each. This immediately makes those places seem more welcoming—or at least less intimidating—to people from other places".
Given that one of the top reasons for moving abroad is acquiring work experience, it isn't surprising that certain cities come up again and again. In terms of reputation, it's hard to beat Zurich if you're a banker, Los Angeles if you're an aspiring film actor, and Singapore if you're an international customs broker.
The UK is the second most-appealing country for international jobseekers after the US, with 37% saying they want to work in the UK, against 42% for the US.
Overall, the survey found that almost two in three jobseekers worldwide (64%) are willing to move abroad for work.
The report says "US is the destination with the highest appeal to foreign workers. Of all respondents, 42% say the US is one of the places they would consider moving to. The UK and Canada get the next highest declarations of interest from survey participants: 37% and 35% respectively. The UK, Canada, and the US are all in the top ten in terms of nominal GDP, per capita GDP, or both. They all also benefit from being largely English-speaking at a time when English is the most frequently taught second language".