Traditional site selection focused on talent cost and availability no longer meets the demands of a volatile world. These metrics offer a static snapshot, not a forward-looking forecast. With 34% of organizations transforming their business models due to geopolitical tensions, today’s location analysis strategies must prioritize resilience, adaptability, and long-term value. 

Why Resilience Matters 

Resilience in location strategy is about more than operational continuity—it reflects a site’s ability to attract, retain, and support talent, even amid disruption. Traditional metrics like salary or labor pool size miss deeper risks: policy friction, wage volatility, and infrastructure gaps. 

Workforce planners can leverage Draup’s Agentic AI, Curie, to surface critical metrics that give them a strategic edge in location analysis. Powered by Curie, location resilience analysis provides a structured, forward-looking framework that assesses long-term viability across five essential dimensions: 

Policy Congruence Across Jurisdictions 

Misaligned policies and regulations can increase risk. Draup’s location resilience analysis evaluates governance consistency across city, state, and national levels to identify locations with predictable, business-friendly environments. 

Example: 

Fig: Snapshot of regularity volatility, and policy consistency query run on Curie. 

A company can evaluate expansion sites using the Draup Platform to assess policy signals. 

• Low-risk picks: Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines show regulatory alignment and talent availability. 

• US regions: Austin, Phoenix, and Philadelphia offer consistent governance and moderate supply-demand ratios. 

• Watchlist: Chicago and Seattle display signs of regulatory unpredictability. 

Result: Based on this analysis, the company can select a site with policy consistency, reducing friction in long-term planning. 

Strategic Nature of Work Executed 

Regions that support innovation, R&D, and IP creation offer higher long-term value. Draup’s location resilience analysis identifies where strategic functions are concentrated. 

Example: 

Fig: Snapshot of functional breakdown of work types query run on Curie. 

A company can compare global hubs to expand product innovation. 

• Kuala Lumpur & Selangor: High density of Tech, Research, and Business Development roles. 

• Australian Capital Territory: Dominated by Sales and Support, with limited R&D presence. 

• Greater Adelaide: Strong in Sales & Marketing, but lower depth in technical functions. 

Result: Based on this insight, Kuala Lumpur can be prioritized for its strong innovation footprint. 

Capital and Research Flow 

Several factors, like venture capital investment, sector growth, and university-industry partnerships, signal a region’s innovation potential. 

Example: 

Fig: Snapshot of venture capital trends and sector-specific investments query run on Curie. 

A company can use Draup’s model to identify high-potential R&D hubs. 

• London: $21.3B in VC funding (2023), 150+ unicorns, strong academic-industry collaboration. 

• US: Bay Area, NYC, and Boston dominate VC investment and lead in AI, healthtech, and sustainability. 

• Emerging: Latin America (120% VC growth) and Central & Eastern Europe (46%) are rising zones. 

Result: Based on this location resilience analysis, London can be selected for high-end R&D, and Latin America can be marked for future exploration. 

Wage Trends & Functional Congruence 

Uneven wage inflation can also distort budgets and increase attrition in a given location. The Draup Platform benchmarks compensation trends using real-time labor data and AI modeling to address this challenge. 

Example: 

Fig: Snapshot of wage trends & functional congruence query run on Curie. 

A company can assess wage predictability for U.S. expansion. 

• Engineering: Steady increases—aircraft engineers projected to earn $100K+ by 2027. 

• Finance: Compensation rose 12.3% between Q2–Q3 2024. 

• HR & Management: Wage pressures persist, with overall costs up 4.3% in Q4 2023. 

Result: Based on this location resilience analysis, locations with more stable wage growth and functional balance can be prioritized. 

Environmental & Ecosystem Risk Signals 

Lastly, climate events and infrastructure weaknesses can also reduce productivity in the impacted regions. Draup evaluates lost operational days, healthcare access, mobility, and digital connectivity through location resilience analysis. 

Example: 

Fig: Snapshot of environmental & ecosystem signals query run on Curie. 

A healthcare tech company can assess Austin’s healthtech ecosystem readiness. 

• Healthcare: Federal funding cuts pose risk, but $1.4M mental health investment adds resilience. 

• Transport: Project Connect light rail faces legislative hurdles. 

• Digital: Mesh routes linking Texas cities enhance connectivity and redundancy. 

Result: The insights showcase that Austin’s digital infrastructure supports hybrid and digital-first teams, addressing the policy and transport challenges. 

From Cost-Centric to Resilience-First 

Historically, location analysis focused on minimizing costs. But today’s challenges demand a shift toward resilience-first thinking, prioritizing adaptability over short-term savings. 

This shift requires integrated real-time intelligence—economic trends, policy stability, innovation potential, and ecosystem health—all in one model. Draup delivers all this through Agentic AI and real-time labor market insights, empowering companies to build future-ready location strategies that align with broader business goals. 

Use Case 

Resilience-based location strategy is not theoretical—it delivers real-world clarity where traditional models fall short. By applying Draup’s location resilience analysis across different decision contexts, organizations can move beyond cost-driven choices and uncover locations that offer long-term strategic value. 

Fig: The table highlights a use case scenario showing how companies can use insights from Draup’s location resilience analysis using Curie to make smarter, future-ready location decisions. 

In today’s disruption-driven world, resilience isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Draup’s location resilience analysis empowers leaders to move beyond static metrics and ask a more strategic question: “Where will our talent thrive, no matter what the future holds?”