This article is part of a recurring series highlighting recent talent mobility industry reports. If you would like the WERC editorial team to consider covering a specific industry report, email mobility@worldwideerc.org
Results from the 2024 KPMG Global Mobility Benchmarking Survey show that a combination of geopolitical uncertainty, impacted global supply chains, disruptive new technologies, and shifting economic pressures have hastened the need for adaptation within the talent mobility industry. The survey provides organizations with insight and data to facilitate necessary changes, informed by 225 multinational enterprises surveyed across 12 industries, representing 29 countries and jurisdictions.
“Increasingly, global mobility leaders are facing new questions and data requests, and their teams are expected to meet evolving demands from their organization’s leaders,” the report states. “These demands are often diverse and sometimes contradictory, requiring leaders to navigate complex priorities, conduct difficult conversations, and find innovative solutions to new challenges.” From finding ways to align their service to support the business, to optimizing the workforce for value enhancement, and more, the report offers a guide for how to navigate in a time of change.
Alignment With Business Objectives
Nearly three-fourths of respondents stressed the alignment of mobility strategies with broader business objectives as being their No. 1 priority; not far behind that, 50% of respondents said the need to be adaptable was a priority. Mobility professionals are increasingly required to act as strategic partners to the business, the report notes, aligning their service delivery model to support key business outcomes and advising strategic decision-making by leveraging their expertise. The survey found that 89% of mobility leaders anticipate their program will remain just as strategic or become more so over the next year to 18 months.
Adapting Policy to Budgetary Requirements
Rising economic pressures and an emphasis on efficiency, a top priority for 39% of respondents, are prompting organizations to adapt and focus on value within budget. International remote work plays an important role in this shift, with 27% of respondents expecting it to increase significantly over the next year to 18 months. A greater number of respondents (35%), however, expect an increase in short-term assignments (three to 12 months), while 33% expect a greater focus on extended international business travel, and 29% on employee-driven permanent transfers.
Adapting for a More Agile Workforce
With 70% of survey respondents indicating talent to be a top priority for the near future, mobility professionals are seeking ways to optimize their workforce for value enhancement. Fostering collaboration remains a challenge, the study revealed, with just 40% of global mobility professionals saying they connect often with talent management or HR business partners. Two-thirds of respondents said that global mobility is not involved in employee skills development, while more than half said that it is not involved in either succession planning or selecting candidates for relocations.
One way mobility professionals are addressing these shortcomings is through enhanced data collecting and reporting. Survey respondents indicated that alongside program cost and compliance reporting, metrics related to process efficiency and wider stakeholder reporting were important. While the majority of respondents said they still use Excel to share data, a quarter were leveraging more advanced data-sharing methods, including dashboards.
Choosing the Best Serving Delivery Model
“Selecting the appropriate service delivery model to facilitate global mobility strategies and drive effective policies and behaviors is essential for the success of the function,” the report says. “When designing a structure, leaders should consider both current and future business needs to help ensure their models can address these needs effectively.” As such, the survey found that 35% of companies prefer a centralized approach while 30% prefer a regional model. A regional approach offers organizations a way to customize their services to meet the specific requirements of the local workforce, the report indicates. With 56% of respondents signaling an awareness of growing employee numbers in certain locations, staying on top of regional changes is vital.
The survey also reveals that mobility leaders are increasingly turning to third-party specialized service providers. While it remains typical for organizations to outsource their program’s compliance services to specialized providers, more are now outsourcing operational components. Over the next 12 to 18 months, it is expected that the use of third-party suppliers to support operational activities will continue to increase, with the biggest drivers being the need to improve operational efficiency (69%), enhance customer experience (59%), and provide expertise that is difficult to source and retain internally (53%).
Adapting Tech to Business Needs
Delays in obtaining new visas and work permits, along with the need for businesses to address local talent demands quickly, has prompted a search for technology solutions to boost operational efficiency, according to KPMG. Unsurprisingly, assignment management solutions are the main tools that most organizations are investing in, with more than three-quarters of respondents using some form of workflow and data management tool for their processes.
While just 5% of respondents said their organization is currently using artificial intelligence (AI) in routine processes, more than half indicated plans to integrate AI into their programs in the near future, mainly to facilitate automation of administrative tasks.
Embracing New Realities
Changes in the coming year, known and unknown, will influence organizational employment mobility functions. Whether it be matters related to assignment destinations, such as visas, work permits, and tax issues, or greater confluence with business objectives, mobility professionals will need to stay on top of trends and be willing to adapt to rapidly evolving matters.