Quality-of-Living Reports

You are currently viewing a 2009 survey.

Measuring the difference and setting the allowance 2008 Edition available now!

Consider these questions... Do you have clear, objective information on quality-of-living differences between cities around the world? Can you easily assess competitive hardship allowances for your employees on international assignments? Are you consistent when setting your hardship allowances around the world? Can you justify them objectively? Are your allowances based on significant international quality-of-living factors?

  USD 390  |  Purchase Options

Survey Schedule

Key features and benefits

Mercer's Global HRMonitor®

Sample report

QOL list of cities

Press release: Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living survey highlights

---

Obtain the right solution

To encourage employment mobility and keep abreast of the competition, you need reliable information to help you calculate fair, consistent expatriate allowances. Based on 39 factors within ten categories, Mercer’s Quality-of-Living Reports contain all the key elements you need to calculate hardship allowances for transfers to over 420 cities worldwide. “Hardship allowance” refers to premium compensation paid to expatriates who experience – or should expect to experience – a significant deterioration in living conditions in their new host location.

Our reports are based on annual responses to a questionnaire developed by international Mercer professionals, working closely with major multinational companies and other experts in the field.

Key features and benefits

• Tangible values for qualitative perceptions to establish an objective assessment of the quality-of-living for transfers to over 420 cities worldwide.
• Carefully selected factors representing the criteria considered most relevant to international executives.
• A detailed outline of how we establish quality-of-living differentials between cities.
• A City-to-City Index Comparison that summarises the difference in the quality of living between any two cities.
• The final quality-of-living index and access to the detailed breakdown of the categories that form the resulting index.
• An online quality-of-living calculator allowing you to customise the QOL index to your specific needs.
• A score report summarising the quality-of-living differences for each of the 39 factors.
• Mercer’s recommended Quality-of-Living Allowance Grid that allows you to translate the quality-of-living index into percentage benefits and define competitive hardship allowances where applicable.
  
  

  The total index is based on the following categories:
  Consumer goods Economic environment Housing Medical and health considerations Natural environment	Political and social environment Public services and transport Recreation Schools and education Socio-cultural environment

Global HRMonitor® - a new dimension of online HR information Quality-of-Living Calculator Our web-based application contains flexible and powerful tools to let you customise your hardship allowance calculations and access details of the scores used in calculating the index. The calculator also lets you account for additional factors, such as travel time and communication facilities between home and host country and extreme environmental conditions.

Mercer advisory services
Mercer’s specialists are available for any advice you might need when managing your employees on international assignments.

Please contact your local Mercer office for further information.