A new list of top locations for project management in the world has been compiled by Elizabeth Harrin FAPM, author and blogger at GirlsGuideToPM.com. In her article on the top cities for project management, she looks at global hotspots for project investment and megaprojects.
The cities listed include:
- Shanghai
- Las Vegas
- Seattle
- Washington DC and metro area
- London
- Brisbane
- Sydney
- Warsaw
- Tokyo
- NEOM
Buenventura also makes the list in 11th place, noted for the SeaOne Caribbean Fuel Supply project in the Puerto Solo complex. This is the leading infrastructure project in Latin America, worth around US$20bn.
“I’m an ex-corporate project manager and I was based in London for 12 years,” Elizabeth says, “so I suppose it’s kind of inevitable that I was drawn to the huge range of projects happening in ‘my’ city. London came out of my research as a hotspot for jobs. The average salary for a project manager in the UK is about £62k, with higher salaries to be expected in the capital.”
Nearly one in five UK project professionals – 19% – believe they will get a pay rise of 5% of more in the next 12 months.
“It was amazing to research more into other areas of the world and the investment happening in cities globally,” she adds.
Warsaw, for example, is a hub of investment for major projects at the moment, with 11 initiatives together slated to receive over €2bn of EU funding. “Tokyo also made it on to the Global Liveability Index for being one of the top 10 cities where it is nice to live,” Elizabeth says.
Two Australian cities made it on to the list: Sydney and Brisbane.
“There are large infrastructure projects happening in Brisbane, with a good quality of life and high salaries,” says Elizabeth. “But project management isn’t just about large construction work. There’s lots of government projects, cutting edge initiatives and a strong start-up scene that makes it a great place for people making projects their career.”
Local project manager and podcaster Elise Stevens agrees: “The best thing about working in Brisbane is that because it is smaller, there is an eclectic atmosphere,” she says. Elise says that if you want to work in Brisbane, you have to have a good network. “Informal references play a big part in how people get work,” she adds. “It can be tough to get the first gig however once you have a better network it is easier.”
The analysis looked at number of jobs, hotspots for megaprojects and investment, salaries and financial confidence in working project managers, and how many project professionals reported having informal or formal career paths (at a national level). This was blended with a sprinkle of professional judgement and a desire to represent cities from various parts of the world to create the final list.
