Just Released! 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report (Expats)

Hi Everyone, The annual, well-respected and highly quoted Global Relocation Trends Survey Report has just been released, by Brookfield Global Relocation Services.

Here are some excerpts from their press release today:

* 61 percent of global companies surveyed are expecting to transfer more employees in 2011 than in recent years, according to the just-released 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report, published by Brookfield Global Relocation Services.

* The percentage of new hires for international assignments hits an all-time low (8 percent).

* Meanwhile, only 9 percent of international assignees are 20 to 29 years old (tied for the lowest percentage in the report's history).

* While there are some signs of improvement, obtaining spouse/partner employment during international assignments continues to be a struggle. In this report, 60 percent of spouses/partners were employed before but just 12 percent during assignments.

* 18 percent of international assignees were women, compared to a historical average of 16 percent.

* 68 percent of international assignees were married and less than half (47 percent) had children accompanying them, an all-time low.

* Just 74 percent of companies provided cross-cultural preparation - the lowest percentage in the history of this report -While this benefit may be an easy one to cut to reduce costs, it is difficult to ensure the quality of web-based or self-service cross-cultural preparation that is usually offered as an alternative.

* As a consequence, although companies are increasingly focusing on cost reductions and efficiencies in their international relocation operations, amazingly, 92 percent of companies did not formally measure return on investment (ROI). When asked why, 50 percent of respondents indicated that the principal reason for not measuring ROI is that they do not know how to achieve it.

* China, Brazil and India are top emerging destinations; China, India and Russia cited as most challenging destinations for both expats and relocation managers.

* The location of a company's headquarters is a significant factor in that company's optimism: Those headquartered in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were more optimistic than their counterparts with headquarters in North America. For example, 64 percent of EMEA-based companies expected to send more employees on assignment this year, versus 58 percent of companies based in North America.

In all, 118 multinational firms participated in the worldwide survey; combined, these firms manage a worldwide employee population of 5.6 million. Brookfield Global Relocation Services will present key findings of its 2011 survey on Thursday, April 21, during a complimentary webinar that will provide a comparative analysis of the key global mobility issues facing businesses today. All webinar attendees will receive the full Global Relocation Trends Survey report. To register, please click here.

Brookfield Global Relocation Services is a full service provider of corporate and government relocation and assignment management services to more than 250 corporate and government clients. Brookfield Global Relocation Services manages over 50,000 relocations in more than 110 countries throughout the world, and funds over $3.6 billion dollars in relocation expenses annually. Brookfield Global Relocation Services is an operating company of Brookfield Residential Property Services, a leading global provider of real estate and relocation services, technology, and knowledge.

Talent Mobility 2020: The Next Generation of International Assignments

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in trends and predictions for global mobility, you might be interested in last year's Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) report entitled, Talent Mobility 2020: The Next Generation of International Assignments. If you missed it then (like we did), here are some of the highlights we just read about:

* Global assignments are expected to increase 50% by 2020. Compared to the last decade (1999-2009), which saw only a 25% increase.

* Many countries’ populations are aging, and as a result many of those economies face talent shortages.  Collaboration between businesses and government is inevitable in order to address the gaps - and people will likely continue working past today’s typical retirement age.

* Additionally, by 2025, the world’s 30 most highly populated cities will feature new cities not even listed in 2007, edging out cities such as London and Lima.  These newly listed locations can provide a new pool of talent, attracting companies to these places.  Company host locations are expected to increase 50% by 2020.

* Three main categories of employees will exist by 2020: Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials.  The demands and needs of each group vary widely, which will require organizations to adapt and become more creative with their mobility strategies.  A quick summary of these groups in 2020:

Baby Boomers: Many will put off retirement, despite having achieved their career goals, and continue working to ensure financial security through retirement.  Traditional expatriate assignment packages will likely continue to be the norm for this group.


Generation Xers: This group will have reached a peak point in their careers, particularly in terms of income, but also want to secure retirement and perhaps fund their children’s education.  Higher-profile positions will be most attractive to this generation.  In terms of international assignments, some may prefer a traditional path, while others will look for something more flexible, such as short-term or commuter-type assignments, to fit their personal lifestyle and priorities.


Millennials: They see international assignments as vital to personal growth and will likely make up the majority of expatriate employees.  They will pursue opportunities abroad if those opportunities are more attractive than what their home country might offer.  Personal interests and goals take importance over monetary rewards in choosing assignments, and most millennials seem to believe global assignment in their career is inevitable.

* Because of these changing dynamics, by 2020, very few international assignments and packages will look as most do today.

* Technology will be important for companies to utilize, but it will not ultimately remove the need for people “on the ground.”  Businesses that adapt with technology will attract young workers, versus organizations that do not.

* Social media will continue to influence and change work-life boundaries as employees use blogs, social networking sites such as Facebook, and other similar mediums in their everyday lives.  As a result, these blurred lines will cause employees’ personal privacy to become an issue.  Businesses will need to make clear distinctions to offset this and other potential issues of increased technology usage.

To read the full 36-page report, please click here: Talent Mobility 2020: The Next Generation of International Assignments. Happy reading! Andrea

Happy Planet Index

Hi Everyone, Some of you might be interested in the Happy Planet Index (HPI) that we learnt about it this week when we were approving Rosangela Silva's This Australian Life blog for our Expat Women Blog Directory.

It is not an index of the happiest people or places, but it is an index which aims to measure "what truly matters to us - our well-being in terms of long, happy and meaningful lives - and what matters to the planet - our rate of resource consumption".

Here are the Top 10 countries on the Happy Planet Index:

1. Costa Rica;
2. Dominican Republic;
3. Jamaica;
4. Guatemala;
5. Vietnam;
6. Colombia;
7. Cuba;
8. El Salvador;
9. Brazil; and
10. Honduras.

The positions of other countries of interest include:

53. Sweden;

74. United Kingdom;

75. Japan;

89. Canada;

102. Australia;

103. New Zealand;

114. United States; and

123. United Arab Emirates.

143. (Last position) Zimbabwe

"Download the new report The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don’t have to cost the Earth, first published in July 2009. The report presents the results of the second global compilation of the Happy Planet Index, based on improved data for 143 countries around the world – representing 99 per cent of the world’s population. The results show that globally we are still far from achieving good lives within the Earth’s finite resource limits. But although the evidence shows that we are heading in the wrong direction, the achievements of some countries around the world provide reasons to believe that we can achieve true sustainable well-being."

Have a great day/evening! Andrea

Just Released: Mercer's Worldwide Cost Of Living Survey 2009

Hi Everyone, Mercer have just released the results of their latest cost of living survey and according to their press release, the cost of living in Tokyo has risen to 43% higher than that in New York!

Osaka came in second, then Moscow third, Geneva fourth and Hong Kong has risen this year to 5th place. Moscow is still the most expensive European city for expatriates.

Australian and NZ cities dropped right down the list, with the most expensive city, Sydney, falling from 15th to 66th place and the next city, Melbourne, sliding from 92nd to 36th place.

Here are the official survey headlines:

"Tokyo knocks Moscow off the top spot as the most expensive city for expatriates; Johannesburg is the cheapest.

Asian and European cities dominate the top 10.

Significant currency fluctuations and strengthening of dollar cause major reshuffle in the ranking.

London drops 13 places to rank 16, New York joins the top 10 list."

To see their Top 50 list and maybe find the city in which are you living, just click here.

Expat Explorer 2009 Survey Results: Part One - Expat Economics

Hi Everyone, If you haven't seen the flurry of site and blog posts on this topic in the past few days, yes, HSBC International have now released the results of their first 2009 Explorer Survey.
This year's survey was completed by 3,146 people in 30 different industries and 50 countries. According to their Expat Explorer Blog:

"There are lots of interesting results regarding the credit crunch and how expats are managing in the current economy, such as:

• US, Thailand and South Africa are the most affected expat locations;


• Almost half of expats in UK considering returning home;


• Emerging markets rank above established centres for expat finances;


• UK is the worst for saving behind Spain and France; and


• Despite economic crisis, expats are wealthier and save more than in country of origin."

Interestingly, the countries offering the best, overall "[economic] quality of life" for expats were: the Russian Federation; Qatar; then Saudi Arabia.

The highest proportion of expats earning more than US$250k are in Russia (30%), then Hong Kong (27%), then Switzerland (26%) and India (both 25%).

If you are interested in more than just headlines, there is an 8 minute video about the results here and/or you can read the full survey results here.

Best wishes, Andrea.

Global Relocation Trends Survey Released

Hi Everyone, The annual Global Relocation Trends Survey Report, published by Brookfield Global Relocation Services, has just been released. Here are some key headlines from their official press release:

"Severity of Global Recession and Shrinking Corporate Earnings Cause Sharp Cutbacks in Overseas Assignments...

Annual Global Relocation Trends Survey Uncovers Pessimism Not Seen Since 2001 as 67 Percent of Companies Expect to Either Decrease or Maintain Number of Employees They Relocate...

...What's more, when companies do relocate employees for both short and long-term overseas assignments these days, they are opting to dispatch older and more experienced employees because they present the least risk of assignment failure. In fact, just 9 percent of expatriates were 20 to 29 years old - the lowest in the survey's 14 year history. It appears that developmental assignments are declining in the current economic climate as companies opt to send more experienced employees."

For information on how to receive the full GRTS report, click here.

HSBC Expat Survey- Part 3 of 3

Hi Everyone, Just released is the third and final instalment of the HSBC survey conducted this year which surveyed 2,155 expats across four continents:

Part 3: Expat Experience (or downloadable PDF version)

• Making friends with the locals
• Joining a local community group
• Learning the local language
• Buying property and setting up a new business
• Having children and marrying into the local population
• Changed citizenship
• The age factor

...and if you missed the first two instalments...

Part 2: Offshore Offspring (or downloadable PDF version)

• The cost of raising children abroad
• Travel abroad for more active children
• The cultural advantage
• Languages
• Expectation to remain
• Healthy children

Part 1: Expat Existence (or downloadable PDF version)

• Standard of accommodation
• Popular destinations
• Earn and save
• Luxurious lifestyle

Warmest regards, Andrea.

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: Quarter One 2009

Hi Everyone, We've mentioned some Manpower Employment data on this blog before. Here is another interesting instalment, especially for expats or wanna-be expats:

"The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey of global hiring trends released [yesterday]... shows that the most favorable first-quarter hiring plans globally are reported by employers in Peru, India, Costa Rica, Canada, Romania, Colombia, South Africa, Australia, Poland, the United States and China.

Conversely, employers in Singapore, Spain, Ireland and Italy are reporting the weakest hiring expectations for the quarter ahead. Read more in the press release.

The quarterly report from Manpower Inc. (NYSE:MAN) is the most extensive, forward-looking employment survey in the world, gathering data from over 71,000 employers across the globe each quarter. To view full survey results for each of the 33 countries and territories included in the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, plus regional and global comparisons, visit the Manpower Inc. site."

Best wishes for your day/evening!

Expat Women August Home Page & Welcome To New Sponsor: Confused.com

Hello Everyone! A very special August welcome to our new Bronze Sponsor, Confused.com: a leading comparison service based in the UK. Though best known for car insurance, they also offer home insurance, travel insurance, a selection of financial services, the ability to switch energy suppliers, and plenty more besides. Just by filling in some forms which are nice and simple to follow, Confused.com will return a selection of great deals available on the web, and present them to you in a format that’s easy to understand. Thanks in advance for supporting Confused.com!

This month, our Expat Women August Home Page highlights the following fabulous features:

Success Story: Diane Gulyas
Dianne Gulyas runs DuPont’s largest business unit – a US$7 billion operation, with a 7,500-strong global team. It’s no wonder that Fortune magazine named her as one of their 50 Most Powerful Women. She attributes her accelerated success to working abroad...

Business Idea: The Antiques Diva™
Toma Haines believes that trailing spouses “have been offered the greatest gift on the planet: the time and resources to pursue their dreams”. Toma’s dream was to live abroad and create her own career in a suitcase. With The Antiques Diva™, that’s exactly what she’s done…

Queen Of Africa: Tanya Trevor
Tanya Trevor has led a fascinating life. She has lived in Kenya, Denmark, England, Scotland and Australia. She was with her father when he was filming Gorillas in the Mist, on set during Out Of Africa, and on screen with Jimmy Stewart in Tale of Africa…

Negotiations Abroad: The Female Factor
In order for women to be successful in international business negotiations, [they] need to be educated about how to deal with foreign business cultures. The secret of women’s success negotiating internationally is contained in the three angles of the “Triple A Triangle”…

Expat Confession: Keeping Secrets
"I am feeling a bit down because I have the feeling that my husband is keeping secrets from me. He’s getting distant from me and he always seems too tired to talk. I realise that his work is quite demanding, but we have been married for ten years and have lived the expatriate life..."

Expat Explorer Survey Results
Seeking the good life abroad? Then pack your suitcase and head for Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the United States (US). These three countries emerged as the best expat locations in the largest global survey of expats, with 2,155 respondents across four continents...

Newsletter Next Week
And finally... we are sending out our August newsletter mid-next week. If you do not already receive our newsletters, please support us by signing up today. New members receive our Free E-Book: Winning Stories.

Thank you very much - and here's wishing you a wonderful August!

HSBC Survey Results: Pack Your Bag And Head To Singapore, the US or the UAE!

Hello Everyone, If you have not already seen the impressive array of news articles in the expat media in the past few days about the HSBC International Expat Explorer Survey results, released on 24 July, here are some of the highlights:

• 2,155 expatriates surveyed, over 4 continents;
• Singapore, US and the UAE were ranked as the best overall expat locations;
• 74% of expats living in Singapore said their quality of accommodation was better than back home;
• 58% of expats save and invest more than they did in their country of origin; Hong Kong-based expats (on the whole) have the highest salaries;
• In terms of longevity, The Netherlands rated the highest, with 82% of expats there already residing there for 3+ years; and
• The UK and France were among the lowest-rated destinations, scoring poorly on their levels of luxury and standards of accommodation.

However, unlike all of the other sites that we've seen, we can offer you the full PDF summary of the survey results (great for expat research, articles, HR strategy, or just plain curiosity), thanks to our good friends at HSBC Offshore (a valued Expat Women Gold Sponsor). Just Click Here. :-)