How to compensate daily living costs...

Short-term assignments provide companies with a valuable solution for the transfer of skills, know-how and resources. Companies are competing in a global world with changes in technology, travel and communication networks, and typical issues, such as dual career and family concerns, make short-term assignments more attractive.

Short-term assignments present new challenges. Employees on short-term assignments are usually not accompanied by their family, therefore their living costs are different and can not be compensated as for long-term assignments. On the other hand, short-term assignments last longer than business trips and require expenses of a wider nature, such as personal care products, laundry, and entertainment.

Mercer provides short-term assignment allowance tables by host cities that allow your company to grant a daily allowance in a fair and consistent manner. The tables are available for each city covered by our worldwide cost-of-living reports, and are updated twice a year.