Advice for companies
It’s a tough one when the outcome is so unclear and any details of the trading relationship are still currently being debated. However, there are some actions businesses can take.
• Review all the expatriate positions currently hosted in the UK and consider what contingency plans can be put in place
• Review UK assignment end dates and work with the business to plan ahead and either replace or relocate roles
•
Plan for the possibility of a reduced number of expats coming to the UK in future.
• Consider that this could mean an increase in short term assignments and business travellers instead
•
Prepare for a lot more focus on immigration – global mobility teams should upskill in this area so that they can advise their businesses accordingly
These changes are significant, but few are driven only by Brexit. Britain has always been one of the most popular destinations for
international assignments and has a strong culture, too, of exporting its own talent to work abroad. But fears from Europeans about the cost and complications around global mobility cannot be ignored. Ultimately, the effect of Brexit on Europe will depend of the final
model that is agreed – but that doesn’t mean we cannot make plans. Given that the UK will remain a key market and destination
for most European countries – the results of the survey certainly show that to be the case - there will still be a desire to work with the UK in future. A hard Brexit would make maintaining ongoing relations more
difficult but businesses will always find an opportunity to trade if one exists. That doesn’t mean, of course, that everything will look the same. Global mobility is already reacting to new technology, political change, social change and even to an increased threat of terrorism across the world – so Brexit is likely to push it in new directions too.
Some of the changes we could see include: A brain-drain in the UK: if the country’s skilled workforce seeks permanent relocation rather than temporary assignments
• Low-cost assignments: the harder and more expensive it is to relocate employees; the more organisations will question the value of expensive moves. So, expect them to look for ways to cut costs. This could mean short-term moves, permanent moves or so-called ‘backpack’ moves in which assignees make most of the arrangements themselves
• The rise of talent planning: red tape and increased costs could see businesses place more emphasis on talent planning - ensuring that the right people go on assignment at the right times in their career
• Training: expect a new focus on developing local talent, in the UK and in Europe. Crown World Mobility Brexit Survey stats show many businesses have already started this process or at the very least included it in their next budget
For the latest Brexit news, analysis and advice for HR and global mobility visit
relocateglobal.com/brexit
There have been protectionist policies in the US and Australia in the last year and the immigration environment changes on almost a weekly basis – and global mobility has reacted and evolved every time. The trend in the industry is still towards international experience
and development, not least because younger generations have a desire to travel and seek new experiences. So, following a period of readjustment, a new business as usual will soon evolve and global mobility will no doubt continue.
Views on the impact of Brexit by sector
A smaller survey sample of 1,013 UK respondents who work for companies which offer international assignments were asked if they thought Brexit was good for the EU. Just over 56% said it was bad news. 20% said their sectors would not be affected, 14.2% said it was good news and 9.7% were still unsure.
The highest percentage of negative responses came from the education sector (72%), followed by the architecture, building and construction sector (67%), arts and culture (65%), manufacturing (63%) and the finance industry (just over 62%).
While the number of participants that stated Brexit was good for the EU was considerably low, interestingly, the legal sector made up the highest number of positive responses (28%).
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