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@talenteverywhere.org.
Global mobility teams face a shifting environment marked by geopolitical changes, talent shortages, economic uncertainty, and rising compliance demands. Success now requires continuous evolution, strategic alignment with business goals, and effective use of technology. Mobility has shifted from relocation logistics to a strategic talent function. The 2025 Vialto Global Mobility survey, Mobility Matters, captures insights from 233 organizations across 35 countries and nine industries. The report outlines key themes—program maturity, talent alignment, data, technology, and operating model changes—while benchmarking policies, delivery, and best practices, offering a global view of current mobility management and future trends.
Compliance and Cost Pressures Limit Strategic Focus
The survey shows that 45% of organizations classify their mobility programs as “Meaningful,” with standardized policies and strong compliance, but only 23% have reached the “Strategic” or “Influencer” level aligned with business priorities. Another 32% remain reactive in “Unstructured” or “Operational” modes. Key challenges include compliance (49%) and cost management (36%), often limiting strategic focus. Despite this, leaders are prioritizing AI, automation, and innovation to boost efficiency, compliance, and employee experience. Over the next year, top priorities include aligning mobility with talent (34%), enhancing employee experience (32%), and modernizing processes (32%), signaling intent to reposition mobility as a driver of engagement and growth.
Lack of Data and Analytics Limiting Mobility Teams’ Strategic Impact
While many mobility teams aim for strategic impact, a lack of data is holding them back. Nearly half of organizations (44%) don’t track key metrics such as employee satisfaction or stakeholder alignment, and 76% fail to monitor post-assignment career progression. Among those that do, outcomes are generally positive—13% see promotions within two years, 6% report no change, and only 3% note attrition. Technology offers promise, with some experimentation with AI and automation for cost estimates, communication tracking, and human resources information system integration. Yet most efforts appear isolated, with few signs of enterprise-level innovation or advanced analytics maturity driving mobility strategy.
A Model for Tomorrow
As expectations for global mobility shift, selecting the right service delivery model is crucial, not only for defining roles but for building a structure that supports today’s strategy and scales for tomorrow’s needs. The model should match current capabilities, anticipate future ambitions, and be reassessed as mobility becomes more integrated with workforce planning and enterprise transformation.
Most organizations (87%) have a dedicated mobility team, typically within HR (47%) or reward/compensation and benefits (36%). These teams are often lean—67% have five or fewer full-time employees—but carry broad responsibilities, from daily operations (92%) to policy ownership (89%), vendor management (89%), and defining strategy (78%).
Given limited headcount, many supplement with third-party providers for complex tasks like immigration risk assessment and compliance (42%). Leaders should regularly evaluate whether their mix of vendors and in-house resources still fits evolving business needs, making adjustments for flexibility and scale.
Strong supplier relationships are equally vital. Partnerships work best when they go beyond transactions, fostering collaboration, trust, and innovation. Treating vendors as strategic partners can help mobility teams navigate complexity, maintain compliance, and position mobility as a driver of organizational agility and growth in a constantly shifting global landscape.
Pros and Cons of Scale
Some organizations excel at mobility “at scale,” typically large companies with over 50,000 employees and more than 20% of staff participating in mobility programs, from short-term assignments to cross-border commuting. These companies are generally further along the maturity curve, with 34% operating at the “Strategic” or “Influencer” level, compared to 23% across the broader survey. Their scale is supported by deeper resourcing: over half (52%) have more than 20 full-time employees managing mobility, versus 67% of all respondents operating with five or fewer.
This capacity enables better performance tracking, though gaps remain. While 44% of organizations don’t track core success metrics, this drops to 26% among scaled mobility programs. Scale also brings complexity: Compliance is the top challenge (50%), followed by cost management (42%) and employee experience/vendor quality (33%). Top priorities for the next year include managing tax and immigration compliance (38%), introducing tools and innovation (33%), and enhancing employee experience or reviewing policies (29%).
Program Management and Policies
Despite widespread availability of traditional mobility programs like long- and short-term assignments, actual employee participation remains low, typically 0%-5% of the workforce. The exception is domestic hybrid work, with 66% of organizations reporting participation above 30%, reflecting a shift toward flexible, location-based work. Business travel also sees higher engagement, with 20% of organizations reporting over 30% participation, underscoring continued value in face-to-face interactions.
Most organizations (87%) have dedicated global mobility teams, primarily within HR (47%) or reward (36%), with centralized structures favored by 34% for standardization. Centers of excellence (24%) and regional models (22%) indicate attempts to balance global oversight with local responsiveness. Shared services remain uncommon (9%), suggesting limited automation.
Mobility policy frameworks vary, with 33% using a single global policy and others adopting regional variations, core/flex options, or case-by-case approaches. Policies are often accessible companywide (43%), promoting transparency. Key support tools include assignment letters (83%), third-party employee support (61%), dedicated case managers (60%), and assignment policies (58%).
Employee-initiated mobility decisions focus on business need (58%), cost (56%), immigration compliance (53%), employee retention (49%), and tax compliance (44%), highlighting structured evaluation aligned with organizational priorities.
Global mobility policies are adapting to workforce expectations, cost pressures, and the need for flexibility, but most programs still rely on core assignment types. Long-term assignments are offered by 86% of organizations, short-term assignments by 83%, permanent transfers by 76%, and localizations by 65%. This shows that while organizations are evolving their mobility strategies, traditional assignment frameworks remain the foundation for employee movement and talent deployment across global operations.
Turning Global Mobility into a Strategic Advantage
The 2025 Vialto survey shows global mobility teams are evolving from administrative roles to strategic talent enablers, balancing compliance, cost, and employee experience. While 87% of organizations have dedicated teams, most are lean and rely on third-party support for complex tasks. Key priorities include aligning mobility with business strategy, enhancing employee experience, modernizing processes, and leveraging technology to track outcomes, positioning mobility as a driver of talent deployment and organizational agility.