Activity in Asia led the way as businesses increased their spending on relocating and hiring senior staff around the world in 2012, according to estate agency Knight Frank’s ‘Global Corporate Lettings Review 2013’.

The report, available online, notes that “deploying expatriate employees is becoming an increasingly important aspect of multinational companies’ business strategies, especially as growth comes back onto the agenda for firms”.

Some 60% of respondents to the survey noted a rise in corporate relocation budgets for senior executives last year.

Overall, the flow of talent is still from West to East, with three of the major business centres seeing greatest increases in prime rental growth across 2012 found in Asia (Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai), with the Kenyan capital of Nairobi topping the list with 17.9% growth for the second year running. Zurich completes the top five.

Shanghai has seen an increasing number of automobile sector tenants, and the city’s expatriate population has risen 48% since 2008, while Hong Kong has taken in more accounting and law firm staff, the report notes. Both destinations

London's Tech City has resulted in a greater lettings demand from technology and media firms, while Sao Paulo’s petrol, oil and gas industries have driven growth.