Why does London still reign for Gen Z?

New analysis into global cities’ attractiveness for the next wave of graduate talent sees the UK, US and Canada dominate the top 10 of 110 cities worldwide.

Image of concert goer holding up smartphone

Ruth Holmes

4 September 2019

Nestpick, an online housing search engine servicing rental markets in 200 cities around the world, ranked 110 cities by their alignment to 22 indicators based on the values, digital connectivity and leisure expectations of people born between 1997-2012.

Who are Generation Z?

Following research from the Pew Research Center, people born in this 15-year timeframe – Generation Z – are said to share common key social, political and technological experiences.Says Nestpick: “Born into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a post-9/11 world, the climate crisis, and a global recession, Gen Z-ers are known to be digital natives who value security, diversity and autonomy, and aim to achieve it through pragmatism and determination.”

Why is attracting Generation Z important?

With the majority of Generation Z now coming of age and entering the workforce in the wider context of aging populations, this in-demand and digitally connected talent pool will be working alongside artificial intelligence and grappling with the everyday challenges of complex change. Nestpick’s index therefore aims to help employers of this globally minded and globally mobile group to determine which cities around the world are meeting their needs, and consider how they are making themselves attractive destinations to appeal to the creators, advocates and pioneers of tomorrow.

Top 10 cities for Generation Z around the world

Crunching a range of data from e-governance, digital privacy and security, education, internationalism, the right to protest, social entrepreneurship to the AI sector and affordability, Nestpick ranked 110 cities based on their current or projected economic strength. It found the top cities to be:

London
Stockholm
Los Angeles
Toronto
New York
Berlin
Munich
San Francisco
Amsterdam
Vancouver

Why does London continue to be attractive to international talent?

Commenting on the findings, Ömer Kücükdere, founder and CEO of Nestpick.com, said: “Taking a values-centric approach to this study, we looked into which cities around the world best understand, advocate, and embody the principles Gen Z-ers prioritise.“Interestingly, despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the high costs of living, our research has found that London ranks first overall.“Adding on to the advantages of a weakening pound, London has shown how it is at the forefront of digitalisation, advocacy, entertainment, and business. Brexit or not, London has the foundations to continue magnetising Generation Z in the long-term.”London ranks highly for Gen Z values overall. It also stands out for social entrepreneurship, concerts and co-working spaces, as well as education and the AI industry.The UK’s comparative strength in this area earned it second place behind San Francisco for Generation Z seeking a career in AI. The findings echo discussions at Relocate’s Festival of Global People earlier this year, where panel sessions discussed in detail the trends for inbound mobility into the UK, particularly for people from India with in-demand tech skills and experience.

Top 10 cities for the artificial intelligence industry

San Francisco
London
New York
Tel Aviv
Paris
Berlin
Toronto
Tokyo
Beijing
Singapore

Employers prepare to attract Generation Z

“The emergence of a new generation presents strong opportunities for both innovation and the economy,” concludes Ömer Kücükdere.“However, this requires cities and industries to be both adaptable and responsive. Having done so with the rise of the millennials, it is time for both the public and private sectors to prepare for Generation Z.”