Multinationals can face significant challenges when designing and managing benefits programs for International Assignees (IA). This can be due to a number of factors. Some of the primary concerns facing multinationals include complexities of providing equitable packages across borders, cost pressures, increasingly complex compliance requirements, and the need for improved program control, transparency, and governance. Understanding how benefit programs can vary across multinational companies will help you design a strategy that works best for you and your employees.
Mercer’s global Benefits Survey for Internationally Mobile Employees explores how multinational employers are designing and financing their expat benefits programs for an increasingly diverse globally mobile workforce. This provides you with a unique opportunity to identify, analyze, and potentially benchmark against multinational company policies and trends throughout the world. Leverage this competitive insight to perfect your own employee benefit programs.
Survey Report Released
Based on the data provided by participants who completed the survey before the summer 2017 deadline, a comprehensive report is now available, along with custom cuts of the data by request.
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Key Findings
Key findings from this robust HR survey data offer multinational organizations a wealth of information regarding how their international employee benefits programs compare against the global market. Insights include:
- Global governance is considered as important by 89% of respondents for medical benefits, 74% for life insurance benefits, 68% for disability benefits, and 65% for retirement benefits.
- Offering an international retirement plan is still not a common practice, with only only 22% of participants offering one. However, this still shows a growing trend: in the previous edition, it was only 12%.
- Most respondents (85%) have one overarching policy covering the provision of benefits to their internationally mobile employees; 76% have a global policy for medical benefits, 60% for life insurance benefits, 59% for disability benefits and 55% for retirement benefits.
Topics Covered in 2017 Survey
Company profile
Globally mobile employee general policies and trends
- Demographics
- Benefits program policy and administration
- Benefits program drivers and barriers
- Social security and tax assistance
- Spouse/dependents coverage
- Benefits plans future arrangements
Retirement benefits
Medical benefits
Life, disability, and other benefits
Localization