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.
Over 100 employee mobility industry professionals shared their thoughts and forecasts with Cartus about relocation volume shifts, strategies, cost management, and other issues related to intra-country domestic moves within the United States and Canada. In its U.S. and Canada Domestic Mobility Survey 2025 report, Cartus provides insights for relocation specialists to plan for the near future, focusing on the housing market, remote work dynamics, and flexible mobility practices, among other areas.
Priorities and Challenges
A comparison of the domestic priorities and challenges in Canada and the U.S. with the findings from Cartus’ Global Talent Mobility Survey 2024 showed many similarities between the identified domestic and global mobility priorities. The top priorities in last year’s global talent mobility survey tracked closely to the key domestic priorities, namely, to improve in-house mobility processes and optimization (50% vs. 43% domestically), improve employee experience (45% vs. 50% domestically), and achieve a more flexible approach to mobility (36% vs 42% domestically). The top challenges in the global talent mobility survey in 2024 were rising mobility costs (45% vs. 51% domestically), meeting relocating employee expectations (35% vs. 33% domestically), and achieving a more flexible approach to mobility (29% vs. 32% domestically).
Some Shifts in Move Types
Results from the latest report from Cartus indicated a shift in priorities concerning move types over the coming year, such as the increasing emphasis on supporting homeowners with home sale programs. The results also indicated a shift in the use of intern programs, which ranked fourth in the most managed move types last year but dropped to sixth overall this year.
This year’s survey also found that two-thirds of companies do not currently offer benefits for employee-initiated moves, despite this move type being tied for third as an area companies are investing in to better attract and retain talent.
Some things, however, remain the same. Twenty-one percent of companies currently manage extended business travel (EBT) moves, and the same percentage of respondents anticipate managing these move types this year.
Lump Sum or Capped?
Thirty-five percent of respondents rely on capped moves, while the remaining use a lump sum-only or lump sum-plus strategy. Nearly three in five respondents calculate lump sum-only payments by employee level, while about a third calculate them by distance. Of note, the use of lump sums in domestic mobility increased significantly since the 2017 Cartus Domestic U.S. Relocation Policy & Practices Survey, which showed just 29% using lump-sum policies.
More About EBTs
While just over one in 10 respondents cited their relocation department as owning the domestic remote work policy, this team was highlighted by over one in five respondents as overseeing EBT tracking. Most respondents (68%) expect to manage up to 100 EBTs this year, while 15% anticipate having between 101 and 500. Yet 46% of companies do not track their EBTs.
Trends in Home Transactions
Cartus’ most recent survey found that nearly three-quarters of companies assist their relocating employees through home sale programs, with the most common policy inclusions being buyer value option (80%), direct reimbursement (46%), and appraised value buyout (40%). When it comes to purchasing a new home in the host location, 43% of respondents indicated they do not and are not planning to offer specific support, while 38% provide home purchase assistance, and 30% offer duplicate housing.
Budget Management
Most respondents said their relocation budgets have stayed the same or increased over the past year, yet, as noted above, cost remains a major concern for over half of the respondents. What’s more, nearly two in five respondents expect budget approval challenges this year. Responses indicate that most companies are exploring both administrative and policy changes to streamline operations in a bid to contain costs.
A Flexible Approach
When asked about the current demand for greater flexibility in their mobility programs, 40% of respondents noted an increase. Yet most organizations with domestic relocation programs still base policies on employee-level (59%) or move type (57%). A core/flex approach has been adopted by less than one in five organizations with tiers and one in 10 without offering a blend of standardized and customizable benefits. Nine percent opted used an à la carte model, providing employees with the flexibility to select the benefits that best suited their individual needs.
Team Size and Mobility Volume Correlations
The survey results explored the relationship between the size of an in-house HR and mobility team and the size of the relocation programs they manage. For teams with a lone HR or mobility professional administering a program, the survey found, 81% of U.S. domestic programs and all Canadian domestic programs managed fewer than 100 relocations. Though that may not be surprising, given the limitations of how much one person can accomplish, the survey noted some interesting differences with larger teams in the two countries. For example, for teams of five or more employees, 35% of U.S. domestic programs and 78% of Canadian programs managed fewer than 100 relocating employees, yet 26% of U.S. programs with these larger teams handled over 1,000 relocations last year compared to just 6% in Canada.
What to Make of These Figures
In addition to the topics listed above, Cartus’ report includes insights on such important matters as DEI, sustainability, and technology, and how they relate to domestic relocations within Canada and the United States. Taken together or in its corresponding sections, the report provides a benchmark for comparison within the specific countries covered as well as with international survey outcomes. It provides actionable insights to guide organizations through the many obstacles faced today.
“By sourcing valuable data and pairing it with our deep relocation expertise, we aim to help companies enhance their policies, improve employee satisfaction, and achieve a higher return on investment in their domestic U.S. and Canadian programs,” said Cartus President and CEO Matt Tebbe.