Sydney ranks among world’s top ‘workcation’ destinations

Coined during the pandemic, the portmanteau denotes workers who take advantage of flexible office policies by working remotely from far-flung destinations. It is an extension on the pre-existing concept of “bleisure”, where workers extend business trips with a few days of annual leave.

Each global city in the study was marked against 10 key criteria: climate, accommodation costs, transport, subsistence costs, broadband speed, food and drink, happiness, culture, sustainability and availability of flexible workspaces.

Sydney scored strongly on climate, sustainability and subsistence costs, but fell down on transport costs, cost of food and broadband speed – with the latter scoring a measly 2.5 out of 10.

Damien Sheehan, International Workplace Group’s country head for Australia, stated: “As the world embraces hybrid working, Sydney’s recognition as a top ‘workcation’ city is a testament to the unique blend of professional opportunities and lifestyle it offers.

“Whether it’s extending a vacation or diving into a longer adventure as a digital nomad, the ability to work from such vibrant locations is redefining how we view productivity and work/life balance.”

Coming in at the top of the list was Budapest, which scored particularly highly on the cost of accommodation and transport. Barcelona, usually the number one destination for flex workers, moved down a spot this year but still retained a strong score due to its warm climate and Spain’s wideranging digital nomad visa.

Other cities named on the list included Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Lisbon, New York, Marrakesh, Mumbai, Manila and Copenhagen.

London, Toronto and Dublin all scored lower than Sydney, with climate and transport costs dragging the cities down.

“We expect this ‘workcation’ movement to accelerate even further with more companies adopting WFA [work from anywhere] policies to enhance employee wellbeing and bolster their appeal as employers,” said Sheehan.