MANILA is among the worst cities for individuals working in the creative sector, according to the website Business Name Generator (BNG).
In a report dated Feb. 9, BNG said that the city of Manila is among the bottom 10 cities for creatives based on its research involving 50 cities across the world.
BNG examined the 50 cities based on several factors including the estimated number of “creative” roles available, the average annual and monthly salaries for creatives, living costs, and the number of amenities like museums, art galleries, and parks.
The data was collected between Nov. 15 and 18 last year.
Aside from Manila, which was No. 5 on the list, other cities in the 10 worst cities list were: 1. New Delhi, 2. Mumbai, 3. Johannesburg, 4. Tel Aviv, 6. Porto, 7. Medellin, 8. Athens, 9. Kuala Lumpur, and 10. Melbourne.
According to BNG, Manila has 14,644 “creative” roles available, which is actually the most in the bottom 10 list, followed by Kuala Lumpur’s 11,072. The worst city when it comes to the number of “creative” roles available was Porto with only 1,504.
The average monthly salary for those in creative roles in Manila, according to the report, is $470 — the lowest among the bottom 10. This is below the monthly cost of living — $518 — for a single person (without rent) in the city. Manila was the only city on the list in which the average salary was less than the cost of living. In the 10 worst list, Melbourne had the top monthly salary at $3,999 against a cost of living of $976.
The report added that the number of green spaces and parks in the city of Manila totaled 17, while there are 22 museums and art galleries, and there were no related classes and workshops. In all three metrics, Manila was the lowest ranked.
Meanwhile, the 10 best cities for creatives were: 1. Tokyo, 2. London, 3. Paris, 4. Chicago, 5. Toronto, 6. Singapore, 7. San Francisco, 8. New York, 9. Los Angeles, and 10. Berlin.
The top 10 highest paying cities for those in creative roles (yearly salaries) were San Francisco ($86,300), Los Angeles ($73,407), New York ($72,998), Boston ($72,319), Miami ($69,800), Chicago ($68,632), Dubai ($66,363), Copenhagen ($62,715), Singapore ($58,667), and Hong Kong ($52,533).
“Hiring creatives and fostering creativity in the workplace has never been more important, as the industry shows no signs of slowing down. Coming up with unique ideas, innovative solutions and new ways of working is key to helping supercharge organizational growth. Creative individuals have a unique ability to think outside the box — something that technology cannot replace,” BNG Spokesperson Chloe Chai said in a statement.
“With creative hubs around the world aiming to attract and retain talent, they must be able to offer an environment for individuals to flourish, by investing in the wide range of industries in that creatives play a key role, as well as paying competitive salaries that can keep up with the rising cost of living,” she added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
