Sydney ranked first among Australian destinations for remote workers, earning an index score of 65.4 out of 100, according to a study published by Reckon, an accounting software provider. Brisbane placed second with a score of 62.2, followed by Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coast, Canberra, Port Macquarie, Adelaide, Newcastle and Wollongong.
The study ranked 20 Australian and 20 overseas destinations across multiple weighted factors, with scoring drawn from official government statistics and open datasets according to priorities expressed by 1,005 Australians. Reckon said the research analysed 12 socioeconomic factors across 40 destinations in total and found significant untapped potential for productive remote work in Asia, as well as strong domestic options for those wanting a change of scenery without going abroad. The domestic and international rankings cannot be compared with each other, Jessica Morris, Reckon's head of people and culture, said: each set of 20 destinations was scored only against its own group, the international index used 12 factors against 7 for the domestic list, and health and safety data came from different sources in each case.
Sydney's standout results included a safety score of 100 out of 100, a culture and sightseeing score of 93.1 and the fastest internet speed in Australia. Brisbane received a safety score of 66 and a climate score of 98.9, the strongest among the top 10 Australian cities, though it placed third for weather across all 20 locations, behind Airlie Beach and Cairns.
Melbourne earned a perfect culture and sightseeing score of 100 but posted the lowest weather result of any Australian destination studied. Morris said weather carried 14.77% of the domestic index weighting versus 11.41% for culture, which is why finishing last on weather hurt Melbourne more than a perfect culture score could compensate.
Byron Bay led all Australian locations for both fitness access and health and medical access, with 66 fitness centres, close to 60 gyms per 10,000 residents, an overall fitness score of 66.3, and a health score of 86.8. Port Macquarie and Sydney placed second and third for health and medical access. Morris said business landscape, employability and career turnover were absent from the index, which measured liveability and practical factors only.
Kuala Lumpur led the international rankings with a score of 68, while Auckland placed second on 67.2 and Seoul third on 66.6. Seoul achieved a health and medical access score of 100, the top result among all cities examined, while Osaka, Tokyo and Seoul each recorded 7.5 overlapping working hours with Sydney, sharing the top connectivity score of 93.8. Queenstown and Auckland both scored 100 for visa requirements, the best of any international destination.
Morris said Sydney's victory did not signal that affordability was irrelevant, explaining that survey respondents ranked it as the single most important factor when choosing a remote work destination. A city scoring poorly on a heavily weighted factor can still top the rankings if it performs well across almost all other measures, she said. Australian destinations offer familiarity, the same time zone as family and colleagues, lower travel costs and no visa complications, while international destinations offer exposure to diverse landscapes, people and culture, Morris said.
Australian remote workers seeking a domestic base with strong all-round liveability, fast internet and high safety are pointed toward Sydney, while those prioritising climate may find Brisbane more suitable and those wanting fitness access or health care options may consider Byron Bay.
Official statements: Reckon
Reporting: Yahoo Finance
Written by Pick & Scroll News from the reporting and documents linked above.
