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.
Cross-border employment is picking up steam as nations vie for the top talent in engineering, technology, sustainability, and other in-demand fields. At the same time, a step back from the globalization policies of the past several decades for many countries is influencing immigration, tax, trade, and other relevant macroeconomic factors.
The EY Mobility Reimagined Survey—which tapped almost 1,000 global mobility professionals and employees for their insights—examines these areas, along with cost constraints and other nuances faced by organizations as they seek to maximize the efficiency of employee movement. Added to the mix is generative AI’s (GenAI’s) ever-growing influence in today’s operating environment.
Aligning Mobility to Wider Goals
Of surveyed employers, just over half said that it is easy for their organization to find global talent needed to meet their business requirements, while nearly three-quarters said it is taking more than 12 months to fill senior positions. And while 90% of employers noted benefits for aligning mobility to wider organizational and talent goals, 70% of that group haven’t achieved that alignment.
The solution, according to EY, are evolved mobility functions that focus on strategic alignment, talent linkage, digital focus, flexibility, and use of external expertise. Evolved functions, according to the report, “are 3.7 times more likely to say their function helps address medium-term talent shortages, 1.8 times more likely to say mobility significantly helps drive business growth, and 1.7 times more likely to say mobility significantly helps build organizational resilience.”
Reducing Costs
Nearly all mobility professionals said they want to reduce costs. The top initiatives cited by employers to achieve this goal were greater use of outsourcing and vendors. Respondents said they are outsourcing an average of four mobility-related activities. Technology is also playing a key role, with two-thirds of employers expecting to increase investment in mobility technology and digitization. Cost savings and efficiency gains are the main drivers.
GenAI’s Growing Influence
The number of mobility professionals routinely using GenAI increased from 22% in last year’s survey to 35% this year. More than 75% of employers say they are using GenAI in three or more ways within mobility functions. Seven in 10 mobility professionals believe GenAI will have a positive impact on the function and will influence ways of working flexibly, employee productivity, and helping manage risk.
The report cites that evolved mobility organizations are 3.6 times more likely to use GenAI routinely and 1.6 times more likely to use it to facilitate better talent mobility. They are also 2.7 times more likely to plan on substantially increasing mobility technology and digitalization investments within the next 24 months.
Risk Identification and the Employee Experience
Tax, immigration, cybersecurity, and compliance risks are on the minds of mobility professionals, EY’s survey confirms, with evolved mobility functions demonstrating a greater awareness of those risks. Evolved functions are 3.5 times more likely to say cross-border risks have significantly increased in the last two years, and 1.5 times more likely to say they are concerned about assignee safety during cross-border assignments.
Greater risk awareness raises the chance of a positive employee experience while on assignment. Of surveyed employees, 85% said mobility assignments can be life changing, with nearly half recognizing the mobility experience increases the likelihood they’ll stay with their employer.
Of employers, three-quarters said they currently include mobility experiences as part of their total rewards framework. EY found that evolved mobility functions are 3.4 times more likely to prioritize the adjustment of this framework to meet the needs of mobile employees.
Moving Forward With Evolved Mobility Functions
Today’s economic and geopolitical challenges, combined with cost limitations, require organizations to think critically and go beyond the status quo. This includes taking a deep look at efficiency initiatives, including vendor selection to outsource labor-intensive tasks and building ROI metrics that show the value of mobility. Skills need revisioning that involves the integration of technological tools like GenAI with worker curiosity, agility, and resilience.
As GenAI takes on more of the mundane tasks, organizations should design a strategy to gather and organize clean data needed for technological tools to function effectively with accurate and relevant outputs. Companies that incorporate these strategies into their mobility functions will be positioned to be among organizations leading the future of work. In the long run, their workforce will be set up for success, offering a competitive edge that will support the business as a whole.