23 Oct What’s Next for International Assignments
A few years ago, Strategy Analytics estimated that the global mobile workforce would reach 1.87 billion people by 2022—about 42% of the world’s workforce. That prediction has largely played out. Remote and mobile work are no longer fringe options; they’re baked into how companies attract, deploy, and retain talent.
At the same time, millennials—and now Gen Z—have grown into the core of the labor market. Earlier estimates suggested millennials would make up around 75% of the global workforce by 2025, and they’ve consistently shown a stronger appetite for remote work, flexible careers, and international experiences than previous generations.
In parallel, business leaders increasingly recognize that a global, mobile workforce isn’t just a “perk” program. In one survey, 35% of leaders said empowering a globalized workforce is critical to hitting their strategic objectives. That’s the context in which global mobility teams are now operating.
Below is an updated look at the key statistics and trends shaping global mobility—and what they mean for mobility professionals trying to build resilient, future-ready programs.
What the numbers say about mobility appetite
Even with economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension, employee appetite for mobility remains strong:
- In a Harvard Business Review Analytics Services / EY study, 70% of respondents expected global mobility needs to increase.
- The top reasons people relocate are still career advancement and higher pay (about half of respondents) and internal transfers.
- Remote work is now intertwined with mobility: 51% of organizations cite flexibility, engagement, and well-being as core benefits of remote work—benefits that mobility programs can amplify across borders.
- Millennials remain highly mobile: around 59% are willing to work abroad, and they form a large share of the workforce that expects both mobility and flexibility.
From the company side, mobility teams are under pressure to modernize:
- 38% identify cultural differences as a key challenge.
- 71% run immigration programs to keep business travelers compliant.
- 33% see immigration compliance as the main obstacle to meeting mobility goals.
- 61% plan to invest in new technology to manage it all.
The message is clear: the desire to move is there, but so are serious structural hurdles.
10 trends reshaping global mobility
1. Career advancement as a mobility engine
Global mobility is increasingly tied to career strategy, not just project delivery. Assignments are seen as accelerators for leadership growth, skill-building, and succession planning.
Deloitte research has found that executives rank employees’ ability to reskill, adapt, and take on new roles as one of the top factors in navigating disruption. Mobility—moving people to jobs and jobs to people—is becoming a primary way to build that capability.
2. Repatriation as a missed opportunity
Most companies mention repatriation in their policies, but only a small minority truly manage the return as a strategic phase—with integration briefings, role planning, and ROI tracking.
Without that, organizations risk a common outcome: high-potential employees return home, feel sidelined, and leave just when their international experience could deliver maximum value.
3. Immigration as a persistent roadblock
Immigration remains one of the biggest constraints on mobility, often ahead of political climate or safety concerns. Roughly half of mobility professionals say immigration complications block business objectives.
The US continues to be both one of the most complex visa environments and one of the most in-demand destinations. Brexit, shifting US rules, and changing regimes elsewhere mean mobility teams must stay close to immigration counsel and build flexible scenarios into their planning.
4. Partner and spouse support as a success factor
Assignments often fail not because of the job, but because family life doesn’t work in the host location. Dual-career households are now the norm; whether a partner can work or build a network in a new city is often decisive.
Research suggests that a large portion of relocating spouses are underemployed or not employed at all. Leading organizations respond with gender-neutral partner support: networking, job search assistance, and opportunities within the wider group or partner ecosystem—not just social clubs aimed at trailing wives.
5. Mobility as a lever for inclusion
Global mobility can be a powerful DE&I tool—but only if it’s designed that way. Women and under-represented groups remain under-represented in international assignments, despite making up a significant share of the global workforce.
Some leaders now actively encourage minorities to participate in mobility, using it as a platform for equitable career visibility. But the gap between intention and outcome remains wide, making this a major area of opportunity.
6. Well-being moving from “nice-to-have” to core design
Mobility is stressful even in ideal conditions: new culture, new systems, distance from support networks. When organizations ignore well-being, performance and retention suffer.
Progressive programs are:
- Mapping the assignee journey to identify stress points
- Surveying mobile employees about their real experience
- Partnering with DE&I and HR to ensure psychological safety and support are built into assignments, not bolted on
7. Digital workforces and data-driven mobility
As tech advances, global mobility is shifting from email and spreadsheets to centralized, data-driven platforms.
Standardized systems help teams:
- Track assignees, costs, visas, and compliance in one place
- Collaborate across HR, tax, payroll, and travel
- Generate insights on which policies work for which populations
It’s why a majority of global mobility teams say they plan to invest in technology: digital tooling is the only realistic way to manage a complex, distributed mobile workforce.
8. Ethical and sustainable mobility
Sustainability and ethics are now core expectations, especially among younger talent. Many employees want to work for organizations with a credible stance on climate and social impact.
Mobility teams are responding by:
- Reducing unnecessary travel and shifting short-term trips to video where possible
- Rethinking household goods shipments and exploring “discard and donate” models
- Considering furniture rental or furnished accommodation as lower-impact options
The aim is to support mobility without ignoring its environmental footprint.
9. Virtual and hybrid cross-border work
Since 2020, virtual assignments and cross-border remote work have expanded the definition of global mobility. Employees can now contribute to global projects or markets without always relocating.
This opens up new possibilities—but also new questions:
- How do you measure the benefits of virtual cross-border work?
- How do you manage tax, security, and regulatory risk?
- Where does mobility end and remote work policy begin?
Organizations are starting to treat virtual mobility as a formal part of their portfolio, not an ad hoc exception.
10. Flexible support and “freedom within a framework”
Finally, support models are evolving. Many employees—especially millennials—want choice, transparency, and tech-enabled self-service.
Companies are experimenting with:
- Lump-sum approaches plus light guidance
- Core-flex models where essentials (immigration, compliance, basic housing) are fixed, and other supports are customizable
- Digital marketplaces of vetted vendors, so assignees can pick services that match their preferences
The goal is to balance cost control with personalization: enough structure to protect the business, enough flexibility to keep talent engaged.
Globalization, mobility, and what comes next
Globalization has made cross-border careers both more possible and more complex. It has increased demand for international assignments, virtual global roles, and cross-border collaboration, while exposing organizations to a denser web of tax, immigration, and compliance rules.
For global mobility professionals, the job now is to turn that complexity into a competitive advantage:
- Using mobility as a strategic tool for talent development and DE&I
- Designing assignments that support families and well-being
- Leveraging technology and data to manage risk and cost
- Building flexible, sustainable frameworks that make global careers realistic—not just aspirational
Done well, global mobility becomes more than logistics. It becomes the connective tissue of a truly global organization.