London is where most people in the world want to work, ahead of New York and Paris, according to a survey.

The report, from The Boston Consulting Group and totaljobs.com said nearly one in six of those questioned (16%) want to work in London, the survey of more than 200,000 people from 188 countries showed. Sydney, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Toronto, Singapore and Rome made up the rest of the top 10 cities, respectively.

Mike Booker, international director at totaljobs.com, said: “This report cements London’s reputation as a truly global city. Not only does it offer a wealth of job opportunities in a range of industries, but it boasts some of the world’s top cultural attractions, so it’s no surprise that people across the globe want to come and work here.”

He noted that both London and New York already have a high population of foreign-born workers, about 3 million in each city. But while seven US cities are in the top 40 most desirable cities for work, no other UK cities feature. Booker said: “If people want to move to the UK, they want to move to London.” Booker highlighted the prominence of the finance industry as well as high salary prospects, public healthcare and cultural diversity.

Ali Aslan Gümüs, a 45-year-old Turkish jobseeker, said: “If you ask a young person in this country, ‘Where do you want to go in the UK?’. They’ll never say Liverpool or Manchester. They all say London because of the cultural harmonisation.”

Booker said about Paris: “It really comes down to the cultural element. Economically and politically and from a level of recruitment, things really are tough there, but it has global appeal.”

The UK is the second most-appealing country for international jobseekers after the US, with 37% saying they want to work in the UK, against 42% for the US. The UK is particularly popular among people in Portugal, Israel, Barbados, Romania and Jamaica. Canada is the third most desirable country (35%) overall, while Germany, Switzerland and France are the favourite non-English-speaking countries that people would relocate to.

The survey found 44% of Brits want to move abroad for work. The French and the Dutch were most willing to up sticks among Europeans, with more than 90% desiring. a job abroad

Overall, the survey found that almost two in three jobseekers worldwide (64%) are willing to move abroad for work, led by engineers and those working in technical jobs.