Global talent management — and global mobility — continues to be buffeted by the effects of crises and issues related to goods and services, people mobility, legal or security implications. This is prompting many organizations to review their business and talent strategies.
The past few years have seen many changes in the evolution of working types and patterns, along with the emergence and acceptance of different types of mobility. New ways of working, such as work from anywhere and international remote working, or virtual assignments, are being explored by organizations eager to enhance employee experience while meeting talent deployment needs. At the same time, cost concerns have reemerged at the forefront of barriers to mobility and management control.
Such context triggers a questioning of global mobility programs’ policy frameworks, and survey results show that this is one of the key priorities for the next two years. It also pushes organizations to look at the role and positioning of international mobility within their overall talent management strategies and at the mobility function itself as it gets involved in new topics.
Our latest reports help you uncover:
- 2025 Strategic Mobility Management: the current trends in global mobility programs.
- 2026 Long-Term Assignment Policies and Practices Survey report: long-term assignment policies and practices trends to gain actionable insights and benchmark your approaches.
Long-term Assignment Policies and Practices*
The report explores long-term assignment (LTA) policy and practice trends from over 350 participating organizations, and their evolution since the previous survey edition in 2023.
- LTA trends and demographics, policy frameworks and program administration
- Remuneration approaches
- Tax, social security and compliance
- Allowances and benefits including cost of living (COL) / goods and services (G&S), housing, education, transportation and more
- Hardship / quality of living (QOL) premiums and rest-and-recreation leave
- Security and emergency evacuation measures
- Pre-assignment support and relocation assistance
- Repatriation and localization
*Long-term assignment is defined as the temporary relocation of an existing company employee to live and work in another country for a period typically ranging from one to five years, with the expectation of repatriation, localization, or onward assignment at the end of the term
Key Long-term Assignment Policies and Practices report highlights
Long‑term assignments remain core to mobility strategies, to supply technical skills not available locally, transfer knowledge, deliver projects, and support business expansion, typically lasting around three years.
About 70% of organizations still use a single LTA policy however employers are slowly shifting from single, one‑size policies toward segmented, core‑and‑flex designs.
Remuneration models are diversifying — balance‑sheet approaches remain popular, but host and hybrid models are rising.
Operational complexity is growing: tax, immigration, policy exceptions and cost control are top pain points.
The survey findings reveal that the LTA population remains male‑dominated. Women typically comprise about 25% on average and 20% at median
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2026 Long-Term Assignment Policies and Practices survey report now available!
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