A complex combination of geopolitical uncertainty, impacted global supply chains, disruptive new technologies and shifting economic pressures has accelerated the pace of global pace of innovation.
The comprehensive 2024 KPMG Global Mobility Benchmarking Survey provides timely and revealing insights into global mobility’s evolving role based on the survey of 225 multinational enterprises across 12 industries representing 29 countries and jurisdictions, as well as looks at the global mobility priorities for 2025.
The global mobility function’s contribution to strategic value for the organisation is taking precedence: being recognised as a trusted advisor to the business is the way forward. Global mobility leaders will need to ensure that their service delivery model, team and technology are set up to meet new demands and continue demonstrating the value their functions bring to their organisation.
Key themes
Owning the mobility strategy
Alignment with the broader business strategy continues to be the critical driver behind most global mobility programme goals. This emphasis reflects the evolving role of global mobility, accelerated in a post-pandemic world, to act as a strategic enabler to the business.
Leveraging adaptable policies
This growing need for business adaptability is expected to influence how global mobility leaders anticipate their functions to be supporting in the future.
Bridging talent gaps
Alignment with talent remains one of the most significant opportunities for global mobility and is widely perceived by leaders as an area where the function can have the greatest strategic impact within their organisations.
Optimising mobility delivery
Selecting the appropriate service delivery model to facilitate global mobility strategies and drive effective policies and behaviors is essential for the success of the function. When designing a structure, leaders should consider both current and future needs of the business.
Investing in technology, strategically
As leaders prioritise operational efficiency and seek to speed up processes to meet the changing needs of the business, global mobility functions are exploring various technology solutions to optimise operational efficiency and automate tasks to accelerate processes.
‘At a glance’ findings
Alignment and adaptability with business objectives
72 percent of respondents highlighted the alignment of mobility strategies with broader business objectives as being their top priority, with the need to be adaptable to business requirements (51 percent) being noted as the third highest priority. This underscores the critical role of global mobility in achieving organisational goals and driving business growth.
Focus on developing, attracting and retaining talent
70 percent of respondents consider the development, attraction and retention of talent within the organisation a top priority for mobility. This reflects a strategic shift towards talent within global mobility policies and practices, ensuring that employees are not only internationally mobile but also continuously enhancing their skills.
Formal policies for international remote work
67 percent of organisations that support international remote work have a formal policy in place. This proactive approach helps structure and formalise remote-work capabilities, ensuring compliance with tax and immigration laws.
Centralised and regional models for service delivery
Nearly two-thirds of organisations rely on a centralised or regional model for global mobility management. These models help enhance consistency, control and responsiveness to regional dynamics and needs.
Use of technology in global mobility programmes
76 percent of businesses use technology tools to manage international assignments and 62 percent use them for cost projection preparation. This emphasises technology's strategic role in simplifying complex logistical tasks and quantifying relocation and administrative costs.
Integration of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in mobility programmes
57 percent of respondents admit to having only a basic level of DEI integration in their mobility programmes, and 73 percent do not collect or report on the DEI data of their mobile workforce. This highlights a need for more structured and strategic global mobility approaches that better incorporate DEI.
AI and technology investments
51 percent of businesses are looking to leverage AI in the short- and long-term. This indicates that AI adoption is on the rise, with many organisations planning future AI investments, particularly to help with the automation of administrative tasks (74 percent).
