Navigating the increasing complexities of talent mobility

Talent mobility considerations and costs are escalating. Organizations need mobility that delivers business value while containing costs. To add to the complexity, many employees are now expecting flexibility and remote working. What does this all mean for talent mobility, expatriate management and international assignments in general? Leverage Mercer’s expertise, data and technology to help you navigate that complexity. 
Explore solutions for talent mobility

33% of mobility professionals believe it is high priority for their company mobility policies and frameworks to be reviewed, and another 27% believe that it is also high priority to better integrate global mobility in talent management. 

The growing complexity of talent mobility

In a world marked by constant change and uncertainty, talent mobility trends and practices have evolved rapidly. During these unpredictable times, companies are re-evaluating their talent mobility strategies.

One of the major considerations is balancing cost with the need for career development and organizational-needs-driven employee mobility. According to Mercer’s 2025 Strategic Mobility Management Survey, high costs remain among the main obstacles to talent relocation. 

Companies are looking for opportunities to replace traditional long-term assignments with alternative, less costly forms of talent mobility, including: 

At the same time, remote and hybrid working — initially forced by pandemic lockdown measures — are increasingly the lifestyle choices for many employees. They now expect to be able to work from anywhere, not just in the country, but in the world. The new expectations mean that mobility teams now need to manage globally distributed workforces, not just relocation processes. 

Understanding the cost of living in different locations is crucial for companies setting up compensation packages, and for employees concerned about their purchasing power abroad. 

Talent mobility is a complex subject that is driven by: 

  • Short- and long-term business goals and needs
  • Internal policies, technology and processes
  • International workforce upskilling and reskilling efforts, and
  • Career management considerations.

Mercer have the expertise, data, and technology solutions to manage that complexity. 

Best Partnership Between Service Providers

Mercer Mobility has secured the 2024 Forum for Expatriate Management EMEA EMMAs Award. The awarding partnership between Mercer and Work from Anywhere has delivered a transformative experience for Global Mobility functions with a strong focus on service excellence for clients.
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Talent mobility supports the business and the individual 

Strategic talent mobility should benefit the organization and the individual. 

For the business:

  • Rightsizing the international talent pool: Efficient mobility talent management goes hand in hand with decisions about international workforce resizing, reshaping and reskilling. It is as much about managing an international talent pool as about moving people from country to country

  • Ensuring the right leadership talent pipeline is in place

  • Addressing key skill shortages in critical markets

  • Protecting key talent, by deploying them tactically from stagnant markets to more active ones

  • And more generally, enabling the continued globalization of functions and business activities

For the individual:

  • The right job: Not all positions are equal when it comes to boosting employees’ careers. The types of positions that are real career accelerators depend on the company and industry sector. Global mobility plays a role by allowing high-potential employees to access these jobs globally

  • The right skills: What skills does the employee need to accelerate their career? Is an international assignment (physical or virtual) the best way to acquire those skills? 

  • The right network: Proximity to top management, the opportunity to exchange and learn from the company’s experts, and more generally, the ability to network with those who can be qualified as the 'influencers' within the company is a differentiator. The location of employees (at HQ, in a major regional hub or on the contrary in a small, remote operation) impacts their ability to build an efficient network

For deeper insights into strategic talent mobility.

Explore practical recommendations for creating successful alignment between global mobility and your overall talent management strategy.
Visit Mercer Mobility Exchange

Designing a talent mobility strategy that works for you

To simplify complexity, design is key. 

Using the right data and insights from experience and purpose-built technology, Mercer has helped 4,800 international mobility clients to design rewards packages for 400,000 mobile employees worldwide. 

We can support you in areas such as: 

  • Strategy and policy design
  • Compensation and allowances
  • Assignee experience
  • Policy benchmarking
  • Custom advisory solutions.

The right data for talent mobility

Designing efficient and transparent compensation packages for your internationally distributed global workforce is increasingly challenging. The highly diversified assignment types and flexible working arrangements are complicating elements, as is your employee value proposition, which can be a decisive factor in winning or losing the international battle for skilled talent.

How to ensure you compensate your international employees fairly, efficiently, and consistently?

To help you make informed decisions, our market leading data solutions cover considerations including: 

The expert advice you need for talent mobility

Three main factors compel today’s companies to review their international assignment policies:
  1. New organizational structures focusing on customer needs and lower costs
  2. The different pace of business dynamics around the world
  3. Regional integration and the search for expatriate candidates globally
Mercer’s advisory services will help you manage your expatriate and domestic relocation assignments successfully in a highly competitive and cost-conscious business environment.

International employee mobility advisory services

Domestic employee mobility advisory services

Benchmarking domestic relocation programs

To help our clients optimize their domestic relocation programs, we are able to draw on Mercer’s vast resources to offer both policy expertise and comprehensive data solutions. Our solutions let you ensure cost-effective and competitive policies are in place and calculate the right incentives when transferring employees domestically.

Design and update domestic relocation policy

Establishing appropriate and cost-effective domestic relocation policies for your organization can be a complex undertaking. Through extensive research and client work, we know that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to implementing the right policies.

Purpose-built talent mobility technology solutions 

Our comprehensive suite of cloud-based mobility software solutions provides the benefits of digitalization and accessibility for all mobility teams and their global workforces – whatever the age, size, and complexity of your talent mobility programs, whatever your budget. 

Find the right digital tools to manage the challenges of daily work – from compliance and cost tracking to optimizing workflows and streamlining firm-wide communication.

Mercer’s talent mobility technology solutions

Mercer has developed a solution to simplify talent relocation for domestic and  international assignments. MMP is a technology platform, built in collaboration with ServiceNow®, that helps manage complex mobility programs by bringing all aspects of talent mobility in one place.

The platform provides an interactive, configurable, real-time data and content experience while simplifying workflows, lowering costs, reducing risks, and tracking the return on investment. Combined with our full suite of consulting services, MMP makes it easier to get the unparalleled support you need in your mobility journey.

Plan and budget efficiently with calculators and cost projection tools, integrating robust international compensation data.
Manage programs with ease with automated tasks, integrated reporting, HRIS and vendor integrations and more functionalities delivered by our mobility management system.
Help your international assignees prepare for living and working overseas and set them up for success with cultural training tools and dedicated resources.

Related insights

  • Cost of living

    Mercer’s Cost of Living data assesses the costs of daily life for expatriate employees and their families in assignment locations worldwide. Explore the cost of living in 226 global cities with the 2024 city ranking.
  •

    Talent mobility insights

    Flexibility fuels the future of work. Gain a strategic advantage with a global talent mobility program that attracts and retains mobile international talent — and helps you boost the employee experience, manage costs and achieve business objectives.

Contact us

Contact a specialist to discuss Mercer’s suite of data, advisory, and technology solutions dedicated to talent mobility. 
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