There was a time when Bangalore, the garden city, was the destination for old men who wanted to tend to their gardens. People retired and went there. The IT revolution, unfortunately, spoilt it all. Suddenly, it became a young, bustling place and one of “the best places to work in”.

Calcutta has enjoyed its hour in the sun. But that was in the British times and immediately after Independence. It was looking up in recent years. But the deeply ingrained thinking of political parties that the state owes workers and farmers a living (for which they don’t have to work really) has taken its toll.

Mumbai has always boasted of an excellent work culture. But the citizens have clearly become fat and lazy. Like Calcutta, it’s living on past glories. Ever notice how parochialism raises its ugly head (witness the ravages of the Shiv Sena and the MNS in Maharashtra) when the work ethic starts vanishing?

People went to Delhi to make money, not work. The masses were following in the footsteps of their parliamentarians. The National Capital Region is doing well (and the city itself basks in reflected glory). But the Commonwealth Games can never undo the games politicians play.

All this goes to show that the work culture of a city is always in transition. But it’s a slow transition. This is why it is surprising that so much emphasis is laid on surveys of “Best Cities to Work In”. Says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh: “It should be a purely personal issue.”

Today, the “Best Cities” are undergoing a significant metamorphosis. Surveys in the West have now recast themselves as “Best Cities to Get a Job In”. The lifestyle dimensions don’t matter much anymore. Even when the surveys haven’t been renamed, the methodology has changed. US-based business forecaster Kiplinger’s Best Cities to Live, Work and Play now starts with looking for places with strong economies and abundant jobs. This list is then passed through the sieve of “reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do”. It’s a totally new pecking order that has emerged.

In India, where job losses have not hit as hard, the familiar suspects prevail, though the metros are in eclipse mode. According to an Indicus survey, the top 10 cities for work are Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh, Surat, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi.

What draws a person to a different city? There are the push factors. (Most of these relate to life-related migration, rather than work issues.) Everett Lee, who reformulated Ernest Ravenstein’s migration theories in the Sixties, lists the push impulses as: not enough jobs; few opportunities; primitive conditions; desertification; famine or drought; political fear or persecution; poor medical care; loss of wealth; natural disasters; death threats; slavery; pollution; poor housing; landlord / tenant issues; bullying; discrimination; and poor chances of marrying.

On the other side are the pull factors: job opportunities; better living conditions; political and / or religious freedom; enjoyment; education; better medical care; security; family links; industry; and better chances of marrying.

Pull is proactive. People who change cities based on this are likely to be more successful in life. “Push” is more like being driven out by an adverse environment.

Finally, there are the trigger factors. This could be a pink slip or violence in the neighbourhood. Response to a trigger factor is by definition a knee-jerk reaction. “Never do it,” says Singh. “Look before you leap. And always remember that yesterday’s hotspot may have become too hot for comfort.”

MAXIMUM CITY

Improved outlook in Indian cities: TeamLease

Pune +50

Chennai +20

Bangalore +14

Calcutta +13

Ahmedabad -04

Mumbai -10

Hyderabad -22

Delhi -24

Source: TeamLease; Figures represent % net increase (decrease) in employment outlook growth of the latest quarter.

Ma Foi

Pune: strongly up

Ahmedabad: strongly up

Chennai: significantly up

Bangalore: moderately up

Calcutta: moderately up

Mumbai: moderately down

Delhi: significantly down

Hyderabad: strongly down

Source: Ma Foi Employment Trends, current quarter