One of the reasons mortgage interest rates are going up is because the world economy is booming, say financial analysts. According to GMAC Global Relocation Services latest "Global Relocation Trends Survey," more job transferees are moving overseas.

More than two thirds (69 percent) of multinational corporations reported an increase in the number of international assignments in 2006, the highest percentage since the annual survey was first published in 1993. Further, 65 percent of companies intend to send even more employees on assignment by the end of 2007 than in 2006.

With the share of total revenue generated from outside of a company's headquartered country rising (according to 41 percent of companies respondents), the demand for experienced international management talent has never been greater. Companies rely heavily on expatriates to achieve a number of business objectives, such as filling critical skills gaps, transferring technology and corporate culture, launching new endeavors, and developing business relationships. In addition, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of the survey respondents reported that the primary purpose of their international assignments is to build management expertise.

However, the worldwide survey of 180 companies points out that employees are increasingly turning down international assignments, making the job of finding suitable candidates one of most critical business challenges for companies today.

Three major issues are responsible for employee resistance to accepting an overseas assignment:

1. Family concerns (including children's education, family adjustment, partner resistance, difficult location, cultural adjustment, assignment length and language): These challenges can be overcome by cross-cultural training and a successful transition to the new culture. Unfortunately, only 21 percent of the companies surveyed require cross-cultural training for their assignees, despite 77 percent of companies saying that "cross-cultural training has great or high value." Year after year and survey after survey, cross-cultural training is perceived as one of the most successful programs -- yet there is a lack of urgency to insist on higher levels of participation.

2. Spouse's or partner's career: When asked to identify the chief reasons for refusing an assignment, concerns about a spouse's or partner's career was cited as the second-highest reason for assignment refusal, behind family concerns. While 82 percent of employees were accompanied by their spouse or partner on international assignments, an overwhelming majority of these spouses or partners put their own careers and aspirations on hold during their time overseas. While 59 percent of spouses or partners were employed before their significant other accepted an international assignment, a mere 8 percent were employed during the assignment, the lowest percentage since 2000. This trend may put increasing financial pressures and straining relationships before, during and after the assignment.

3. Career Aspirations: International assignments can have wide-ranging effects on a career. However, what those effects are seem to be one of the least understood phenomena of international mobility. Career aspirations were cited third by respondents as a reason for refusing to accept an assignment. This would seem to indicate a negative perception of international assignments on the part of employees.

Yet, human resources professionals tend to believe international assignments have a positive effect on employees' careers. For example, 31 percent of human resources professionals surveyed reported that an international assignment leads to faster promotion; 27 percent reported that it makes it easier to obtain a new position in the company; and 26 percent reported that expatriates change employers more often – commenting that expatriates are attractive recruitment targets because of their international experience.

Other trends found in the survey results:

• More women are accepting assignments overseas. Twenty percent of expatriates were female; the historical average is 15 percent.

• Ten percent of assignments were not completed due to expatriates returning from their assignments prematurely. Asked to name the principal reasons for early returns from assignments, family concerns (32 percent) topped the list, followed by accepting a new position within the company (23 percent), early completion of the assignment (14 percent), career concerns (6 percent), and cultural adjustment challenges (4 percent).

• Twenty-four percent of expatriates left their company during an assignment; 28 percent left within a year of returning.

• Sixty-nine percent of companies said they supported spouses with language training, 36 percent sponsored work permits and 30 percent provided education/training assistance.

• Forty-three percent of companies required a cost-benefit analysis to justify the international assignment.

• Twenty-eight percent of respondents were considering outsourcing international assignment management within two years.

• China, India and Russia were the primary emerging destinations -- and also were cited as the most challenging locations for expatriates. The following issues were mentioned frequently: housing and living costs; immigration challenges; payroll and employment.

For additional information on receiving the 2006 Global Relocation Trends Survey, go to gmacglocalrelocation.com.

Published: June 11, 2007

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