"Aon is committed to helping New York maintain its preeminent status as a global leader in commerce, finance and innovation," said Kristi Savacool, chief executive officer of Aon Hewitt, the firm's global human resources solutions business, who presented the study findings at a Partnership for New York City event today. "While Mayor Bloomberg has done a superb job of fostering economic growth and innovation, public and private sector stakeholders must seize the opportunity to keep New York City ahead of the curve as a magnet for businesses and talent for years to come."
The Partnership for New York City and Aon collaborated on the study in an effort to make sure that New York City continues to have a talent supply that matches the needs of its employers. Aon benchmarked New York against other global cities across key drivers of economic vitality, with a particular focus on the financial and technology sectors-two industries that are particularly important to maintaining New York's talent pipeline.
"New York City's depth and diversity of talent is our competitive edge," said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City. "In this report, Aon has identified actions that employers and the city can take to keep talent flowing to New York and ensure that we remain an economic powerhouse and center of innovation."
"New York City is home to the world's most talented workforce, and that makes New York City a great place to do business," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "In order to compete in the 21st Century, we must continue to attract the talent of tomorrow - the creative innovators, daring entrepreneurs and top students that will add value to our economy."
The study finds that only Singapore is currently competitive with New York when it comes to attracting talent in these industries. This is consistent with results from Aon Hewitt's global People Risk Index, released yesterday, which measures the risks that organizations face with recruitment, employment and relocation in 131 cities worldwide. According to the Index, New York City was ranked the lowest risk city in the world to recruit talent.
However, in the Aon-Partnership for New York City report, stakeholder interviews and data analysis reveal that as technological innovation increasingly dominates the economy, there could be a growing mismatch between employer needs and available talent in New York, putting the city at risk for losing its ranking and historical competitive advantage.
About Aon
Aon plc is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 65,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world's best broker, best insurance intermediary, reinsurance intermediary, captives manager and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources.
About the Partnership for New York City
The Partnership for New York City (www.pfnyc.org) represents businesses that employ 1.3 million New Yorkers and contribute $202 billion annually to the state's economic output. The Partnership's mission is to engage the business community in efforts to advance the economy of New York City and maintain the city's position as the center of world commerce, finance and innovation. Through the Partnership Fund for New York City, the Partnership contributes directly to projects that create jobs, improve economically distressed communities and stimulate new business creation.