SSON’s data analytics center, Dart Institute, recently expanded its offerings via the newly launched City Cube, an interactive data tool that compares cities around the world across a variety of metrics that shared services practitioners care about. These include things like competition [other existing shared services centers] availability of functional expertise and accredited talent, average salaries, job market metrics [tracking live jobs] and cost of living.
For anyone evaluating a new location or considering expanding an existing location, this kind of data was previously only available by contracting directly with specialist consultants. Dart has collated structured and unstructured data from SSON’s own database as well as external resources to come up with this comprehensive, metrics-based city benchmarking tool.
Practitioners are able to export the data for their own reporting purposes, or to integrate it with other internal resources.
With Global Business Services gaining in popularity, the ability to evaluate and compare not just accredited talent but also the potential competition is a big advantage.
City Cube’s comparison of three major metropolitan cities, New York, London and Singapore (each city extending to 30 KM beyond its borders), shows Singapore leading with 119 captive or hybrid shared services centers (excluding BPOs) – three times as many as greater London and one and a half times those of metropolitan New York City. [What's particularly notable is the large number of SME SSCs that Singapore hosts].
Singapore leads across types of functional centers, too, whereby its lead is greatest in HR (it has more than twice as many HR centers as New York, and nearly 5 times as many HR centers and London).
Considering the relatively low profile Singapore has next to these two major metropolitan cities, its combined shared services capability is extraordinary. And yet, Singapore did not carry the highest number of shared services job ads over the last 30 days. In fact, Singapore has roughly half the job vacancies of New York City or London. Perhaps a testament to lower attrition?
The ability to play with this kind of data, compare cities at a glance, evaluate the talent pool you can recruit from and check the job vacancies you will be up against, will prove useful tools to a practitioner with global aspirations.
Find out more: Check out the City Cube for yourself!