Global Mobility Forecast Report

2020 was a year that no one could have predicted. It was the year of uncertainty and change. Life and work went virtual overnight. Our annual KPMG Global Mobility Forum conference held in late October 2020 was no different.

Our theme for the Forum was “Mobility is _____.”. In these unprecedented times, global mobility is evolving and it brings a lot of change and opportunity. We wanted everyone to reflect on what mobility means to them and fill in the blank.

Throughout the three regional Forums, our KPMG professionals and guest speakers provided insights on global mobility topics themed in three streams: Mobility is Risk, Mobility is Talent, and Mobility is Digital. They engaged an audience of close to 3,000 people in over 80 countries with polling questions and chat features. This interaction provided new insights and data on what is trending in the industry, which we’ve compiled into this report on key trends and issues facing global mobility professionals today (and tomorrow). 

Employee compliance: Ensuring compliance in the beginning of the COVID-19 was important, yet secondary to employee safety. As the world adjusts to life during an ongoing pandemic, you must redefine normal and ensure that your compliance framework is fit for purpose.

Corporate compliance: Many employees won’t be going back to the office any time soon and so an employer’s duty of care is both an expectation of the employee and an obligation enshrined in regulation.

Targeted rewards: What kind of reward will allow you to attract and keep the very best people? Paying them lots of money isn’t enough – you need to find out what they value the most.

Employee experience: Keeping your key talent supported and fulfilled is crucial to ensuring you get the most out of your best people. It’s duty of care. With the global workforce facing disruption, isolation, anxiety and uncertainty, you need an approach to ensuring your employees feel their careers, and their wellbeing, are genuinely supported.

Immigration: Immigration is key to attracting top talent and getting the right people into the right roles in the right location is suddenly much trickier and fraught with risk.

Maintaining control: Employee whereabouts is top of mind for all business leaders like never before. Global mobility professionals need to ensure compliance and control are part of the overall strategy going forward.

Connected and secure: Mobility is no stranger to remote-working innovations, and some businesses will make virtual meetings their new normal beyond 2020. That’s why it’s never been more important to safeguard your data.

Discovering insights: Data and predictive analytics are the key to reshaping your data into clear and compelling stories that help you understand the past, present and possible futures of your mobility program.