The research and books of Richard Florida have caused many cities to reappraise their approach toward attracting creative workers. Creative class jobs are generally acknowledged as those in the fields of science, technology, and engineering; business, management and finance; design and architecture; arts, culture, entertainment, and media; law, healthcare, and education.
While most of his research has been devoted to cities in the USA, Florida in an article for The Atlantic ranks the top Creative Class countries.
At the top of the list is Singapore, followed by the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Germany. Interestingly, the USA was in 27th spot, with Russia coming in higher at 20th, but China was at 75th.
Florida notes, “economists have long regarded human capital- basically the level of skill and education across a population - as a key factor, if not the key factor, driving economic prosperity and rising living standards. Many have noted that America’s declining educational performance and dependence on foreign talent pose substantial threats to its long run of economic competitiveness”. On this basis, I don’t think that we will be seeing China content to sit at 75th for very long. On the other hand, the USA cannot afford to slip further down the rankings because this impacts every city in America trying to enhance its capacity as a place for innovation and creativity.
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