Mobility: Alternative International Assignment (AIA) Survey

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

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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)
  • Product Details
  • Pricing / Buy Now
  • Latest Survey Findings
  • 2023 Survey Participation
  • Related Articles

Product Details

Data Collected

For each mentioned assignment type, the survey examines:

Short-term assignments

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

Permanent moves / one-way transfers

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

Commuter assignments

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

Pricing

The survey full reports are available in PDF:
1,500 USD/1,260 EUR each for nonparticipants
500 USD/420 EUR each for participants

Only results from companies that completed the survey by the deadline of the survey edition cycle are represented in these reports. But you can still participate in any or all of the assignment type questionnaires and for each one you complete, get a 66% discount on the full report of that assignment type and exclusive access to custom cuts of the data.

Custom cuts start at 2,500 USD. Please contact Client service to discuss this option.

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Mobility: Alternative International Assignment (AIA) Survey


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Latest Survey Findings

 
  • 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.

2023 Survey Participation

Data Submission Tools

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

Participate online: Short-Term Assignments

2023 survey participation

The act of submitting data to a survey is known as survey participation and your company is then viewed as a participant. Survey participation is open to all organizations and is not required to purchase results. The 2023 AIA study is comprised of two questionnaires:

  • Permanent Moves/One-Way Transfers and Internationally Hired Foreigners – this survey explores trends and policies and practices currently in place to manage the one-way relocation of existing employees and how they may differ from policies and practices used for internationally hired employees.
  • Short-Term Assignments – this survey explores trends and policies and practices currently in place to manage short-term assignments and how they evolved since our last survey edition.

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.

Why should you participate?

  • Access the full survey report at a 66% discount for each survey completed.
  • Survey participants can also order custom cut benchmarking reports for tailored insights and company positioning.

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Given the current climate there’s been significant exchange rate movement, which can pose challenges to your company and the daily lives of your internationally mobile employees. Mercer’s Exchange Rate Monitoring service gives you an easy way to keep an eye on market fluctuations so that you better understand how exchange rates may be impacting your assignees’ daily life.

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  • IsOrderingSetYes
  • Ordering TypeMultiLevelMultiSelection
  • Enable ParticipationNo
  • Sub TitleA close look at international assignment policies, practices and trends.
  • RegionUS
  • Short DescriptionPolicies, practices, and trends for six prevalent assignment alternatives.
  • isCOLQOLNO

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