Key global results

Foundations today— Strategic value tomorrow

Today

0%

of companies state their focus is to manage compliance, as well as enhance mobility policies (39%) and align mobility with talent (26%).

OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS

Companies’ priorities are shifting, stronger focus on:

#1 aligning talent with mobility (32%)

#2 leveraging mobility data and analytics (26%)

#3 being more purposeful about mobility (24%)

More international working opportunities—but, fewer 'expats'?

MORE MOBILITY

of companies expect international move types to increase. Largest increases: short-term international remote work (77%) and virtual assignments (64%).

FORMALIZING NON-TRADITIONAL MOVES

0%+

of companies are looking to create policies to support non-traditional move types. The main move type being virtual assignments (55%).

Finding the balance— operational vs. strategic

Only

0%+

of companies’ leadership say their mobility teams are seen as strategic, with 44 percent perceiving them as operational.

TACKLING THE BARRIERS

>0%

of companies state that team capacity and/or costs are main barriers to teams achieving their priorities.

Mobility scope increases—as does the use of technology

INCREASED SCOPE

of mobility teams state in addition to traditional move types (LTA, STA, Int. Transfer), they also own the virtual assignment (47%), long-term Int. remote working (51%), and short-term Int. remote working (47%).

TECH ENABLED SERVICE

0%

of companies say they are looking to increase the use of technology in their end-to-end mobility lifecycle—currently more than half of companies only use this to deliver <25% of activities.

Experience is everything—but is rarely measured and actioned

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY FOCUS

of companies state the potential negative impact on family life is a key personal barrier to taking up an international assignment.

FEEDBACK IS KEY

0%

of companies use the feedback from mobile employees to make enhancements to their mobility program. And, only 10 percent actively obtain feedback at the end of assignment.

Repatriation—the ‘nut’ to crack

GET REPATRIATION RIGHT

0%

of companies state that the main employee concern for taking up an international role is the uncertainty of their role upon return.

But only

0%+

of companies state they actively plan for repatriation roles 6‒12 months in advance, and only ~20 percent of companies provide guidance to make reintegration a success.

Top ten global mobility priorities for companies

2023 has witnessed a resurgence of mobility, marked by an increase in volume and diversity of move types. Companies are focusing on revamping their mobility programs to ensure operational efficiencies and pave the way for a shift towards strategic and value-centric initiatives over the coming two years.

Most common number #1 priorities for today

Manage compliance

Enhance mobility policies

Manage new move types

Most common number #1 priorities in two years’ time

Align mobility with talent

Manage compliance

Focus on more purposeful mobility