Mobility: Alternative International Assignment (AIA) Survey

A close look at international assignment policies, practices and trends.

Product Highlights

The Short-term Assignments survey examines:

  • Trends and demographics
  • Compensation approach and tax support
  • Housing and utilities
  • Education and childcare
  • Travel and home leave
  • Benefits
  • Short-term assignment policy framework
  • Cost of living / daily living costs
  • Mobility and hardship premiums
  • Transportation
  • Additional support

The Permanent moves / one-way transfers survey examines:

  • Trends and management
  • “Plus” allowances / benefits in kind and relocation support
  • Compensation approach for permanent moves / one-way transfers
  • Benefits

The Commuter assignments survey examines:

  • Trends and management
  • Living costs
  • Housing and utilities
  • Education and childcare
  • Travel policy
  • Additional assistance
  • Compensation approach for commuters
  • Tax
  • Mobility premium / assignment incentive and hardship premium
  • Transportation
  • Benefits
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  • IsOrderingSetYes
  • Ordering TypeMultiLevelMultiSelection
  • Enable ParticipationNo
  • Sub TitleA close look at international assignment policies, practices and trends.
  • RegionGlobal
  • Short DescriptionPolicies, practices, and trends for six prevalent assignment alternatives.
  • isCOLQOLNO
  • Enable WidgetsNo
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Product Highlights

The Short-term Assignments survey examines:

  • Trends and demographics
  • Compensation approach and tax support
  • Housing and utilities
  • Education and childcare
  • Travel and home leave
  • Benefits
  • Short-term assignment policy framework
  • Cost of living / daily living costs
  • Mobility and hardship premiums
  • Transportation
  • Additional support

The Permanent moves / one-way transfers survey examines:

  • Trends and management
  • “Plus” allowances / benefits in kind and relocation support
  • Compensation approach for permanent moves / one-way transfers
  • Benefits

The Commuter assignments survey examines:

  • Trends and management
  • Living costs
  • Housing and utilities
  • Education and childcare
  • Travel policy
  • Additional assistance
  • Compensation approach for commuters
  • Tax
  • Mobility premium / assignment incentive and hardship premium
  • Transportation
  • Benefits

Product Details

The Alternative International Assignments Policies and Practices Survey (AIA) reports offer an in-depth look into the use of international assignments other than long-term expatriate assignments, including:

  • Short-term assignments (2023 edition)
  • Permanent moves/one-way transfers and internationally hired foreigners (2023 edition)
  • Commuter assignments (2021 edition)

Survey results are delivered in a published PDF format to your imercer.com account under My Downloads.

  • Numbers are increasing again post pandemic: Nearly half of the participants reported an increase in the number of STAs during the last two years (2021–2022), and more than half expect further growth in the next two years (2023–2024)
  • Cost containment resurged as the foremost concern for managing STAs, after having dropped to the sixth position in the previous survey
  • Just above a third of the surveyed companies have accompanied (non-single) STAs, while half do not, and 14% stated that such arrangements would not be deemed the company’s responsibility.
  • Nearly 60% of the surveyed companies allow family members to visit short-term assignees at the assignment location in lieu of a home leave trip, and one-third allow short-term assignees to spend their home leave in a different location than their home country.
  • The most frequent reason for employers to relocate employees internationally permanently remains providing career opportunities for employees. Of the surveyed companies, 71% rated this as 3 or 4 on a scale from 1: Not a reason to 4: A key reason.
  • Similar to the previous edition, tax filing, tax and social security briefing assistance, language training, and cross-cultural training remain the most common “plus” allowances or benefits provided to permanently transferred employees, provided by more than half of respondents. The fifth most prevalent benefit in the current edition is a lump sum, moving up from eighth in the 2021 survey.
  • Most participants apply the same approach or policy to one-way transfers and internationally hired foreigners even though internationally hired foreigners are less often managed by the global mobility team.
  • Most survey respondents indicated that they provide the same allowances/benefits (61%) and relocation support items (71%) to internationally hired foreigners as to one-way transfers.

The Alternative International Assignments Policies and Practices Survey (AIA) reports offer an in-depth look into the use of international assignments other than long-term expatriate assignments, including:

  • Short-term assignments (2023 edition)
  • Permanent moves/one-way transfers and internationally hired foreigners (2023 edition)
  • Commuter assignments (2021 edition)

Survey results are delivered in a published PDF format to your imercer.com account under My Downloads.

  • Numbers are increasing again post pandemic: Nearly half of the participants reported an increase in the number of STAs during the last two years (2021–2022), and more than half expect further growth in the next two years (2023–2024)
  • Cost containment resurged as the foremost concern for managing STAs, after having dropped to the sixth position in the previous survey
  • Just above a third of the surveyed companies have accompanied (non-single) STAs, while half do not, and 14% stated that such arrangements would not be deemed the company’s responsibility.
  • Nearly 60% of the surveyed companies allow family members to visit short-term assignees at the assignment location in lieu of a home leave trip, and one-third allow short-term assignees to spend their home leave in a different location than their home country.
  • The most frequent reason for employers to relocate employees internationally permanently remains providing career opportunities for employees. Of the surveyed companies, 71% rated this as 3 or 4 on a scale from 1: Not a reason to 4: A key reason.
  • Similar to the previous edition, tax filing, tax and social security briefing assistance, language training, and cross-cultural training remain the most common “plus” allowances or benefits provided to permanently transferred employees, provided by more than half of respondents. The fifth most prevalent benefit in the current edition is a lump sum, moving up from eighth in the 2021 survey.
  • Most participants apply the same approach or policy to one-way transfers and internationally hired foreigners even though internationally hired foreigners are less often managed by the global mobility team.
  • Most survey respondents indicated that they provide the same allowances/benefits (61%) and relocation support items (71%) to internationally hired foreigners as to one-way transfers.
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You tell us what’s happening in your organization and we’ll give you a discount on the results. Survey participation is open to all organizations.

Survey participation is open year-round. Only results from companies that completed the survey by the deadline (June 6, 2023) of the survey edition cycle are represented in current reports.

Participate online: Permanent Moves/One-Way Transfers and Internationally Hired Foreigners

Participate online: Short-Term Assignments

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