T
wo decades have passed since the launch of the Permits Foundation – a body comprised of sponsoring employers seeking improvements to the work visa status of accompanying
partners of international assignees. A number of lobbying successes have been achieved over these 20 years in enabling accompanying partners to work in the host countries where their partners are employed on an international assignment. Despite this, many countries (especially in newly-emerging economies) where employers are growing their businesses do not facilitate partner employment. Countries reported as being especially problematic include China, India, Singapore and South Africa – so, much remains to be done.
THE TRIPLE WIN Employers must be able to recruit and deploy high potential talent globally. This is especially so when growing a business in a developing nation where there may not be the required skills available locally and expatriates are needed to fi ll skills gaps as well as train up local people. When selecting individuals for expatriation, organisations will likely face resistance from employees if partner employment is impossible. Thus, for employers, the possibility for partners being able to gain employment in the host nation enables them to draw upon a far wider talent pool and a greater variety of assignment options than if only the expatriate can work. It is clearly in employers’ interest that partner employment does not present a barrier to expatriation of their chosen assignee. Employees with working partners need to consider
whether they are prepared to undertake accompanied international assignments if this means giving up one of the couples’ careers, incomes and future benefi ts (such as pension) through a break in employment. The alternative of a single status assignment where the partner remains at home (for instance through the use of short-term, commuter, frequent fl yer style mobility) is known to be less successful in developing assignees’ cultural competence and is potentially damaging to family relationships. Such unaccompanied mobility may therefore not prove to be an attractive alternative to talent deployment for either employers or couples. Such mobility may also not suit the nature of the work required in the host country, for instance if a continual, longer-term presence is required. Couples today are used to both partners holding their
own fi nancial and career independence; the days of the ‘traditional’ expatriate with an accompanying non- working spouse (usually the wife) in tow are long gone.
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THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE DUAL CAREERS
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