Asia Pacific: Hangzhou, China

Population: 6.7 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (China): 83
Rigidity of Employment Index (China): 27

With 18,000 IT graduates entering the workforce each year, Hangzhou is fast becoming a center for financial services outsourcing. In the first three quarters of 2008, the sector represented 43% of the city's total outsourcing business in dollar terms—a figure that is expected to rise despite the global recession.

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