3 out of every 4 mobility assignments continue to have male assignees

From about one female assignee (21%) for every four male assignees (79%) in 2007, gender diversity in relocation assignments isn't much better 10 years down the line. In a new Cartus survey, 24% of assignees in 2016 were female, compared to 76% of male assignees.

The survey, which elicited responses from 176 mobility managers, indicated that for more than half of the approximately 91 companies that saw increased mobility activity (55%) over the past two years, it was driven by talent not available locally.

On the flipside, of the organisations where overall mobility activity decreased over the past two years, 95% blamed budget constraints, while 30% cited corporate restructuring.

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Of the top mobility destinations in 2016, China (10%) and Singapore (7%) came third and fourth, in a list led by United States (21%) and United Kingdom (13%). Hong Kong and Japan also featured on the list from Asia, both at 3%.

Respondents also indicated they have been sending assignees to Malaysia in the past two years - however, the country poses mobility challenges for organisations, ranking eighth, in a list led by Brazil, China, and India respectively.

Respondents made the following sample comments around challenges of mobility assignments in Asia:

• China—due to immigration rules changing often, regulations and interpretations seem to bechanging constantly, length of time it takes to get a visa, pollution, lack of adequate medicalservices, housing availability, culture and language challenges, difficulty filling positions.
• India—new tax laws, high level of scrutiny on violations, regulations and interpretations seem tobe changing constantly, housing, split tax year and continuation of tax preparation fees due togovernment reviews of past tax returns, cultural differences, payroll issues.
• Indonesia—different or more complicated process on taxation and immigration for employees/expatriates.
• Malaysia—immigration processing is laborious and time consuming.
• Singapore—high cost of living.
• Vietnam—immigration.

The need to fill management and leadership roles is the biggest driver (82%) of long-term mobility assignments, while project-based assignments (77%) drive short-term business relocation.

However, managing assignment costs is cited by more than two in five mobility managers as the biggest barrier to long-term assignments (46%). This is followed by tax compliance (43%) and the ability to link talent management with mobility (36%).

Here are the challenges presented by short-term assignments:

Infographic / CartusLead photo / StockUnlimited