Mobility as a Competitive Advantage
Without strategic foresight, businesses risk facing the same skill gaps when an expatriate returns home. Expatriates can play a vital role in upskilling regional teams, ensuring that when they transition out, a competency gap does not remain. And likewise, they can bring back in-country learnings to the home base. Optimising costs: Mobility can be a resource-intensive process, and inefficient deployment can lead to excessive costs. Instead of frequent short- term deployments, companies should consider long-term assignments where feasible. Fostering local talent development: Mobility must be structured to not only address immediate needs but also contribute to building local capacity. Rather than perpetually moving
people across borders, organisations should invest in local hiring and skill-building to reduce dependency on expatriates. Supporting talent retention: Many professionals seek out international assignments as part of their career growth, and EY’s mobility survey found that 64% of employees said they were more likely to stay with their employer after a long-term mobile assignment. Considering the environment: From an environmental standpoint, frequent contribute quite a bit to a company’s carbon footprint. Mobility can support sustainability long-haul travel and relocations by prioritising virtual collaboration where appropriate to reduce travel and adopting structured rotation models to minimise unnecessary relocations.
Rather than viewing DEI, sustainability and profitability as separate, even conflicting goals, businesses should recognise that they reinforce each other. A diverse and inclusive workforce fosters innovation and stronger decision-making. A sustainably structured mobility program enhances talent acquisition and retention. Together, they create a resilient business that can thrive in an evolving global landscape. Mobility is not just about moving people— it’s about building organisations that are adaptable, inclusive and sustainable for the future. As businesses refine their DEI and ESG strategies, mobility must be recognised as a key enabler in driving these ambitions forward.
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ISSUE 11 GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE
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