Survey: What is an Expat Woman's Role in Top-Level Management Decision-Making?

Hi Everyone, Pamela Muñoz is an expat in South Korea who is doing her thesis on professional/working expat women in Asia and needs your help...

If you fit her criteria above, Pamela would love 10 minutes of your time to please complete her online survey entitled "Expat Women's Role in Top-Level Management Decision-Making".

"I would like to ask for your help in getting participants to answer a survey I have developed for all working, professional expat women.  I'd like to know what types of work they do, what industry, what country and how empowered they feel in their positions.

My theory is that many of the high-level women professionals, in male-dominated societies, are still not being regarded as a true asset. This has been my experience working in Korea, along with some of my other female colleagues.

My thesis is trying to identify if this is only true of Korea or in other countries as well.  All too often, the expat (male or female) is simply a figure head to show how 'global' the company is but that person has little say in true decision making for the firm.  This is a quantitative study to either prove or disprove my theory." Pamela

Please click here to participate in the survey, or click here to email Pamela directly.  Thanks.

Expats Employed Abroad: Looking For Survey Participants

Hi Everyone, Lisa Gulick is a student at George Mason University, completing her Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology. She is currently working on her dissertation, which investigates the role of international experience on expatriate adjustment and performance.  She is desperately seeking 75 more respondents to her expat survey. If you can help, please do.  Thanks. 

"I would like to survey individuals currently working abroad in a country that is not their native country of residence. The survey would be confidential, administered via a web link, and should take about 20 minutes to complete. To participate, please click here.  Thank you!"  Lisa Gulick, lgulick @ gmu.edu

Researcher Looking For Long-Term Employed Expatriates And/Or Repatriates

Hi Everyone, Tom Binetter at the University of Sydney, Australia, is looking for repatriates and/or current expatriates, with substantial international/expatriate experience, for the following study.  If you can help (or you know someone who can) please do.  Many thanks!

Tom: "My dissertation examines the relationship between acquired knowledge and its transfer between returning cross-border assignees and their organisations, a theme which I believe is under-explored in current IHRM literature.

I intend to examine this through what is known as 'reverse expatriation' in the hopes of stimulating new considerations connecting knowledge integration/transfer with repatriate retention, assignment effectiveness and expatriate success/failure.

As part of my methodology I am conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with individuals with substantial international/expatriate experience. This can be with individuals who are currently on assignment or with those who have completed them at any stage during their career.

Normally these interviews would consist of one to two 45 minute telephone interviews taken at your convenience, however I am happy to receive your correspondence via email if this is what candidates prefer.

Please also note that full anonymity will be provided in the final dissertation with a series of pseudonyms used for both individual and organisation.

Please email me directly if you can help.  Thank you!  Tom Binetter."

Just Released: Brookfields' Annual Global Relocation Trends Survey (2010)

Hi Everyone, Hot off the press is today's publication of the annual Brookfield Global Relocation Services' (formerly GMAC Global Relocation Services') 2010 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report, which surveyed 120 multinational firms (which manage a combined worldwide employee population of 5.8 million). Key findings:

46% of multinational companies reported a decrease in the number of international assignments last year (the highest rate in the 15-year history of the survey);

Only 17% of international assignees were women (the lowest percentage in nearly a decade);

Only 47% of international assignees had families with children (an all-time low);

A mere 8% of expatriates were new hires (the lowest in the survey’s 15-year history); and

Interestingly, 35% of companies said they provide media-based or Web-based training, as alternatives to face-to-face cross-cultural training (an all-time high).

Are expatriate partners working abroad? Only 9% percent of expatriate partners were employed both before and during assignments (another all-time low, as the historical average is 14%).

What about 'the family'? Still, the most commonly cited reason for candidates turning down assignments were family concerns, partner’s career, and employee career aspirations. Family concerns also topped the list of reasons for early return from an assignment.

What did they find out about expatriate versus non-expatriate employees? Expatriates received promotions more quickly (33%), but expatriates also changed employers more often (28%).

Where are most people being sent? The United States, China, then the United Kingdom.

Where is it the most challenging? Again, China, India and Russia, for expatriates. India (replacing China this year), for corporate international assignment policy and program managers.

Where do assignments fail the most? China, India and then (yes, this is not a typo) the United States.

What happens to repatriates? "Increasingly, expatriates are leaving companies during the first year after repatriation – 38 percent this year compared to 35 percent in 2009 (the 15-year historical average is 22 percent). This is due to the fact that employees were unable to find jobs at these companies upon their return due to the weak economy and some cases were laid-off."

This report is always an excellent compilation of mobility industry trends. If you work in the mobility industry and you do not already receive a full copy of this annual report, you can request one here.

To register for Brookfield's free webinar presenting their findings of the survey on Tuesday 20 April, please click here. Thanks. Andrea.

Interdean's PanEuropean Mobility Challenges Report 2010

Hi Everyone, Relocation company Interdean recently published their commissioned PanEuropean Mobility Challenges Report in which the following five themes emerged from the 137 surveyed companies (operating international relocation programmes out of Europe):

1. Cost control is king;
2. Keeping up to date with tax compliance is a priority;
3. Talent management is of most importance to large relocators;
4. Repatriation management is critical in Scandanavia; and
5. KPIs are still key to relocation programmes.

The 36-page report also provides individual results for: the UK; France; Germany; Switzerland; Benelux; Iberia; Scandanavia; and Central Europe. It also compares large versus small relocators.

To read the full report, please click here. Thanks.

Trends In Global Employment & Mobility

If you are interested in reading about trends in global employment, talent and mobility, either for interest, for your own research, or to assist you in the formulation of your company's strategies/policies, take a look at some of the great survey results and white papers available for free at the Manpower Research Center (from employment giant Manpower - based in 80 countries/territories).

Samples and snippets:

The Borderless Workforce Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed over 28,000 employers over 28 countries and territories.

Top 10 Countries Recruiting For Foreign Talent:

1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
6. Japan
7. Spain
8. France
9. Canada
10. Poland

The Borderless Workforce - White Paper (June 2008)

"More than 190 million people live outside their countries of birth." (Quoted in the White Paper, from the International Organisation For Migration website.)

"More than 40 million Americans moved last year, and by 2025, three-quarters of all US residents will live on the nation's coasts - a huge shift, especially for a developed nation." (Quoted in the White Paper, from TRENDS: "Moving Americans," Jacksonville News/ The Florida Times Union, January 2, 2007.)

"EuroStat data found that 59% of people who looked for work outside their home region found work within a year, the equivalent figure for those who stayed put was just 35%." (Quoted in the White Paper, from "European Year Of Workers' Mobility," Europa Press Release)

Relocating for Work Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed more than 30,000 people from 27 individual labour markets around the world. Three highest respondent countries/territories were Spain, The Middle East and Belgium.

Top 10 Preferred Destinations For Work

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Spain
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. United Arab Emirates
7. France
8. Italy
9. Germany
10. Argentina

Confronting The Talent Crunch - White Paper (April 2008)

2008 Talent Shortage Survey - Survey Results (April 2008)

The Virtual World Of Work - White Paper (October 2007)

The Power Of Cultural Diversity At Work (in Dutch) - White Paper (October 2007)

Latin American Talent Mobility - White Paper (October 2007) (or Spanish version)

Big thanks go to Eva Velasco (a Spanish repatriate, previously an expat woman in the U.S.) of The Passport Group for telling us about this research.