US consultancy group A.T. Kearny has ranked Malaysia third among the top 51 countries worldwide in its latest Global Services Location Index (GSLI).

The country has also been ranked second among the 41 most attractive markets for investment in infrastructure, according to the Arcadis Global Infrastructure Investment Index.

According to AT Kearney Malaysia Executive Joon Ooi, while Malaysia has a smaller workforce compared to other large regional economies like India and China, a stable political situation and multilingual environment are advantages of the country.

Published regularly since 2004, the GSLI helps companies make key location decisions for offshoring and industry development projects with objective guidance. The 51 countries in the index are selected based on corporate input, current remote services activity, and government initiatives to promote the sector. Each country is evaluated against 39 measurements to assess its financial attractiveness, people skills and availability, and business environment.

Meanwhile, Arcadis Head, Asia, Richard Warbuton said infrastructure is the backbone of a country for its long-term economic development, adding that with its annual average population growth rate of 1.4 percent, investment in new infrastructure will be imperative.-VNA