The Legatum Prosperity Index is a fascinating piece of global research. Where else could you discover that “less than one in four Venezuelans feel safe walking alone at night” while “94% of Canadians believe that they have the freedom to choose the course of their own lives”?

The latest annual Index ranks 142 countries across eight categories – economy, entrepreneurship & opportunity, governance, education, health, safety & security, personal freedom and social capital).

The results are made wonderfully accessible through it’s interactive website.

One of the headline findings is that New Zealand is the fourth most prosperous country in the world, putting some statistical weight behind the proverbial ‘Kiwi lifestyle’ that we openly promote at Allerton Recruitment when speaking to overseas job hunters.

The country is the most prosperous outside Europe, ranking behind Norway, Switzerland and Denmark but one place ahead of Sweden and two ahead of our mates in Australia (that’s one place more than rugby!).

The index shows we enjoy one of the highest employment rates in the developed world along with high personal freedom, ranking second overall. NZ actually tops the global chart in social capital, i.e. social cohesion and engagement, and community and family networks.

Tellingly, New Zealanders are currently more optimistic than Aussies about job prospects: “29% of Australians think it is a good time to find a job, compare to 47% of Kiwis.”

We second that!

To see our latest New Zealand construction and engineering vacancies click here.