Featured project
ZHAW SML Nearshoring Index
Measuring the attractiveness of European regions for Swiss IT service firms — 115 regions, five weighted pillars, one score from 0 to 100.
The ZHAW SML Nearshoring Index measures the attractiveness of regions in Europe for Swiss IT service firms. The index takes values between 0 and 100, where higher numbers represent more attractive regions. On the map, light yellow colors indicate less attractive regions and darker red colors indicate regions that are more attractive.
The overall index is a weighted average of five factors: Labor, Economic, Institutional, Location, and Social Factors — each of which can also be examined individually. In addition, a separate Cost-Efficiency Index weights cost components much higher than the overall ZHAW SML Nearshoring Index.
Interactive Nearshoring Index — coming soon
The interactive map of European regions will appear here once configured.
Five pillars
Labor Market Factors
Reflects various dimensions of the local labor market — IT labor supply and demand as well as labor cost factors — enabling firms to access a qualified workforce.
Social Factors
Incorporates cultural distance metrics, health infrastructure, and quality-of-life measures affecting site attractiveness and workforce integration.
Institutional Factors
Reflects political factors and their direct economic consequences for the offshoring decision, including regional government quality to gauge the ease of conducting business.
General Location Factors
Addresses geographical factors — such as distance from Bern and airport connectivity — that influence site selection, as physical separation creates communication obstacles.
General Economic Factors
Encompasses direct financial considerations — labor taxes, corporate rates — that operate somewhat independently of institutional quality.