Despite the current political headwinds blowing against globalization, companies continue to recruit talent from around the world and talented people continue to want overseas work experience.

For firms, it’s become imperative to look beyond geographic borders to attract and retain top talent. This is partly due to the fact that 77% of CEOs report being concerned about the availability of key skills, according to PwC. Seventy-seven percent also agree or strongly agree that they move talent to where they need it. Marshall Goldsmith, who has coached CEOs at dozens of global Fortune 500 companies, told me that the talent game is becoming geographically borderless. “What companies want is a leadership base that at least somewhat parallels their customer base. So you don’t have a group of leaders that doesn’t have anything in common with their customers.”

For individuals, younger workers see a flatter world and prioritize international experiences and mobility for career development. According to a PwC report on Millennials, 71% desire to work abroad at some point in their career. Those who don’t may be limiting their options, says Goldsmith. “Mobility, that’s just part of life today [for employees]. They need to be more flexible and open to moving around today. If you lack geographic mobility, it’s a career detriment.” The upside is that those who embrace this reality can enjoy a new measure of flexibility. “Many people have a lot more choice about where they live than they used to.”

So where do these ex-pat workers want to live, and why do they want to live there?

AIRINC, a global research company which currently works with over half of the Fortune 100 on international talent and pay strategies, created an index that helps answer these questions. Using data from its in-house survey team, which continually researches the financial and lifestyle conditions of more than 400 cities around the world, AIRINC identified the most (and least) attractive places for today’s workforce.

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