Here is our follow up to “Europe’s Top 10 Cities to Work In (Part I)” - we won’t have you holding your breath any longer! Here is a compilation of the next 5 cities that we at Job Coconut deem to be the best places to live and work in 2014.
6. Prague, Czech Republic
The city of a thousand spires is one of Europe’s hottest work and travel destinations. It hosts the European headquarters of many international companies. The number of foreign workers in Prague has steadily increased in recent years, now making up 18% of the workforce. In 2005, Prague was deemed among the 3 best cities in Central and Eastern Europe according to the Economist liveability ranking. In 2010, the city was named as a top-tier nexus city for innovation across multiple sectors of the global innovation economy, ahead of Brussels and Helsinki.
Some of the highlights of living in Prague include:
Its authentic medieval feel
The delicious and very cheap local food such as goulash, dumplings, potato pancakes. Plus, the beer is half the price of water!
Prague Castle – the largest ancient castle in the world.
The bustling Old Town Square
Thinking of living and working in Prague? Check out our current job vacancies here.
7. Berlin, Germany
A decade ago Berlin’s mayor tried to attract creative types to the city by declaring “Berlin ist arm, aber sexy” (poor but sexy!). And it worked! The city has managed to draw artistic people from all over the world and turned Berlin into a major centre of creativity.
It is becoming one of the world’s leading startup hubs with over 2,500 tech startups at the beginning of 2014. It is attracting huge investment from some of the world’s biggest venture capital fund. The momentum behind Berlin has been building steadily following some major investments such as Bill Gate’s $35m investment in Research Gate (a Berlin-based global network for scientists).
Besides its budding tech and creative sectors, Berlin is a renowned city of culture, politics, media and science. The city is also well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, public transport network and high quality of living.
Other reasons that Berlin is an attractive city include:
Young, multicultural and open-minded population.
One of the greenest cities in Europe
Low rent costs compared to the rest of Europe
Europe’s hot spot for contemporary art
Widespread use of English
To check out our current job positions in Berlin click here. For more advice on living in Germany click here.
8. Paris, France
In Paris you are certain to stumble upon places of incredible history and beauty on every street corner. Just the mere mention of Paris conjures up images of the city’s world famous landmarks, museums and cathedrals.
Paris is one of the engines of the global economy. The GDP and income per capita is one of the highest in the world. It is also one of the world’s most expensive cities to live in. The Paris economy is extremely diverse and has not yet adopted a specialisation inside the global economy (unlike, for example, London and New York and financial services).
Some of the best things about living and working in Paris:
The French average 10 weeks of vacation a year.
World famous shopping and fashion -Paris is full of unique shops and markets.
The museums – Centre Pompidou, Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre to name a few.
The food – gourmet bakeries, afternoon teas and global delicacies etc. (my mouth is watering right now). Paris has the world on a plate.
Its elegant and diverse parks – such as Jardin du Luxemburg and Jardin des Plantes.
Have a look at our current job opportunities in France.
9. Bucharest, Romania:
In our opinion Bucharest is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. What we like about Bucharest is that its charm and appeal remains hidden. One must search behind the grey communist-style façades and get to know the locals in order to find the cafes, jazz clubs and galleries etc. that give the city an entirely different energy and identity.
According to a recent article by the Economist, the Romanian economy is “booming”, (considered one of Europe’s few “tiger” economies). This is refreshing as Romania is generally represented negatively in the media. The country is wealthier, more dynamic and sophisticated than most stories suggest. Unemployment there is relatively low (lower than the UK in fact). The government is in the midst of liberalising the economy, opening up new sectors (most notably energy and telecoms) to competition and investment. Economic growth is at 4.1%. Wages are rising fast. Adjusting for prices, Bucharest’s GDP per capita is above the EU average.
Main attractions for expats:
Lipscani old town area – the heart of the Bucharest nightlife
English is widely spoken
Extremely affordable location
Excellent and varied local cuisine
Warm weather events.
Trips into the countryside – notably Transylvania, the Black Sea and ski slopes in the summer (yes they exist!).
Check out our job vacancies in Bucharest here. Also, for an article on living and working in Romania click here.
10. London, England
London was voted best city in the world according to the Anholt-GFK City Brands Index, a bi-annual survey of city visitors. Visitors were questioned on various aspects of a city, including international standing, variety of things to do, and how nice it looks.
London is a major financial centre for international business and commerce and is one of the command centres for the global economy. More than 75% of Fortune 500 companies have London offices.
A growing number of technology companies are based in London, notably in East London Tech City also known as Silicon Roundabout. This growth is being driven by increased government support, attention from international Internet giants, a handful of early startup successes, a growing venture capital ecosystem and an adjacent London financial sector that is starting to take notice of tech. According to London Partners, a group that promotes Tech City, there are over 3,000 tech companies around East London, which makes it Europe’s fastest growing tech sector. Internet giants such as Google and Facebook also have branches in London.
More reasons to live and work in London:
Numerous professional opportunities.
Annual pillow fights in Trafalgar square!
Southbank and some of its crazy events in the summer
Musicals at the West End
Everywhere takes 20-40 minutes to get to no matter where you are.
All the different markets (borough, Columbia road, brick lane)
Like this blog post? Have any friends thinking of moving abroad to work? Go ahead and share it! Also, if you have any comments or queries don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at Job Coconut.
To have a look at our entire database of jobs click here!
