Cardiff and Swansea are lagging behind the rest of the 海角视频 when it comes to attracting foreign investment, a new economic study has found. The study, published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and law firm Irwin Mitchell, assesses the 50 largest cities in the 海角视频 and ranks them on their ability to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

These are investments made by overseas investors in a company located in a different country and can take the form of greenfield investments or mergers and acquisitions.

The 海角视频 economy has attracted 拢2,000 billion in FDI, which generates jobs and boosts productivity, competitiveness, and innovation. The USA is the biggest source of FDI flowing into the 海角视频 reaching 拢676bn in 2021.

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However the study, which scores cities on their growth potential, local skills and local infrastructure, showed that both Welsh cities fell short of being good places to do business for FDI.

Growth potential is marked on a city鈥檚 GVA forecast and the number of new enterprises per 10,000 people. Local infrastructure on a city鈥檚 online connectivity, major road length (relative to the population) and public transport use.

Local skills are scored on the share of the population with a qualification at NVQ4 level or above, the number of economically active people in the city, and the number of universities in the city.

Cardiff鈥檚 overall index score for investment attractiveness was 30.5, ranking 27 out of 50 and placing it in the mid-range among cities like Derby, Portsmouth, and Liverpool.

Cardiff鈥檚 strongest feature was its growth potential with a score of 35.5 comparable with Edinburgh. However, the study found the Welsh capital fell short in terms of local skills and local infrastructure.

Slow economic growth in Swansea saw the city ranked in last position with an index score of 14.3 and scoring 6.4 for its growth potential, the second lowest of all the 海角视频鈥檚 largest cities, only ahead of Aberdeen.

The report recommends three ways to boost economic development and foreign direct investment in 海角视频 cities both at a national and regional level.

These include providing quality infrastructure for transport and digital connectivity, ensuring businesses have good access to credit through a supportive financial system, and promoting sustainable economic growth to create a stable environment that attracts foreign investors.

The top three locations for investment were Inner London, London and Outer London. Brighton was ranked fourth in the study followed by Oxford, Greater Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Reading was ninth and Cambridge in tenth place.

Managing economist at Cebr Josie Anderson said: 鈥淥ur league table of the most attractive 海角视频 cities to invest in saw London and the South East dominate, accounting for 10 of the top 25 spots.

鈥淲hile the success of London and the South East in attracting investment is beneficial for the 海角视频 economy, a more even distribution across other regions would help drive economic growth across the country.鈥

Bryan Bletso, director of strategic growth for Irwin Mitchell鈥檚 international team, said: 鈥淚nward FDI is widely considered to be a key factor in promoting the domestic economy, having the potential to raise productivity and facilitate the transfer of technology. Therefore, promoting the 海角视频 as a location for FDI can help promote growth.

"In order to attract more foreign direct investment, the 海角视频 Government must focus on providing quality infrastructure, offering businesses good access to credit, and supporting sustainable economic growth. This will create an attractive environment for international investors and help the 海角视频 become a global leader in FDI.鈥

He added: 鈥淭he latest figures also highlight the growing importance of the environmental sector as countries and businesses increasingly work towards a low carbon economy and environmental sustainability. Though these sectors clearly attract investment as sustainability becomes more important to international investors, all businesses which have clear ESG objectives are more likely to be attractive to investors.鈥

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