Birmingham ranked “most attractive city”
Birmingham is the most attractive mid-sized city in Europe, according to the latest Cities of Influence report by global real estate advisor Colliers.
The city was voted the fifth most attractive city overall, out of 50 cities across Europe, based on indicators including quality of life and economic output, alongside Paris, Madrid and Moscow.
Birmingham scored highest for its strong talent pool, based on the potential of those coming through its universities. It was ranked first for this category among mid-sized cities, and overall its talent pool ranked second behind London. It also scored highly for workforce catchment, future employment capacity and employer costs.
The Colliers report states that Birmingham offers “significant scale, growth and higher productivity potential”.
“The ongoing ‘place-making’ regeneration of the city should play a strong role in helping drive both occupier and investment activity in future,” it continues.
James Cubitt, head of Colliers International’s Birmingham office, said Birmingham is improving, and “benefits from an expansive and evolving talent pool, supported by a strong university base.
“This has attracted increasing levels of corporate foreign direct investment (FDI), with the greater Birmingham area receiving the highest level of FDI in the UK in 2017, to the benefit of jobs growth in advanced manufacturing, IT and digital media.”
