A large-scale survey of the views of spouses and partners of international assignees has recently been conducted by Permits Foundation. It finds that a lack of spouse and partner employment opportunities adversely affects international mobility, and that a few simple improvements, including providing work permits for spouses and partners, can create a 'triple win' for employers, families and host countries. Moreover, the research finds that spouses and partners are a highly-educated, under-utilised talent pool that can contribute to the economy of the host country. Sue Shortland reports.

Going global typically means that employers require employees to live and work abroad. Reasons for this include filling skills gaps and training and developing local staff, as well as providing a source of organisational control and acting as a conduit for the dissemination of organisational policies, practices and culture. Employees may also be asked to work abroad as part of their own development as they are groomed for even higher positions within their own organisations.

Today, though, the scenario of the working expatriate husband and accompanying non-working female spouse is long since a distant memory. Expatriates are, typically, accompanied by a spouse or a partner who works and wishes to continue to do so. For some, this is a matter of financial reality, while for others the desire to remain in employment concerns career aspirations and feelings of social acceptance and self-worth.

Spousal/partner employment has for many years been considered as a brake on international mobility, but the degree to which this is conjecture or reality has not been studied from the perspective of the spouses/partners themselves. That is, until now. The Permits Foundation – a body which represents employers to lobby governments for change in respect of work-permit regimes affecting spouses and partners wishing to work while on international assignment – has conducted a large-scale survey of some 3,300 accompanying spouses and partners based across the globe in 117 host countries for 200 employers in both the private and public sectors to find out their views.

There is no doubt that this is an impressive piece of research, in terms of both the magnitude and the breadth of its coverage. The survey was hosted by ORC Worldwide, whose web-based survey technology enabled individuals married or partnered to employees working as assignees for a wide range of organisations to complete their survey returns online while based abroad.

Clearly, the Permits Foundation has a vested interest in this research supporting its lobbying work, and no doubt it was pleased with the results that emerged, which gave a green light to its agenda. That said, the survey results are not simply propaganda to be dismissed lightly. Let's take a look at some of the key findings and consider what they mean in terms of the 'triple win' that Permits Foundation is keen to trumpet.

Employment profile

It is important to take as a starting point the employment profile of the accompanying spouses and partners. The survey finds that around 90% of those surveyed were employed prior to their partner's expatriation. While in the assignment location, this figure fell to 35%. Some three-quarters of those who were not working on assignment wanted to do so, particularly the younger people, the men, those who were well-qualified (e.g. the graduates) and those who were not married. 

This finding is particularly pertinent when we look at it in terms of changing demographics. As more women become assignees, so the proportion of accompanying male spouses/partners will rise. Men are, on the whole, keener to work than women, being driven by notions of breadwinner status, but also because of the reduced or lack of facilities and support groups for non-working male spouses in the expatriate community. A second key issue that emerges from the survey's employment profile findings is related to the greater desire to work among younger accompanying partners. The baby boomer expatriate of the past is becoming a dying breed as the expatriate profile ages and retires and the new generation of X and Y employees – who expect both partners in a relationship to work – takes over. In addition, we see not just a double whammy but a third dimension – that of educational attainment. The younger generation is more likely to have gone to university and be highly qualified – and the higher the qualification, the more likely it is that the person will want to work.

In short, the survey findings suggest that employers face an increasing problem in the future. The changing profile of the accompanying spouse/partner is not going to make this problem go away – if anything, it is likely to exacerbate it.

Although the employment status of the survey population might begin to trigger alarm bells, employers may, nonetheless, feel a degree of complacency. After all, these spouses/partners are all on assignment – they had agreed to go – so perhaps there is no problem here at all? Taking this theme forward, it is useful to see the extent to which the population surveyed had actually refused to relocate in the past. The results indicate the accompanying spouses/partners reported that around a quarter of the international assignees whom they were partnered with had turned down an assignment before, with 7% saying assignments had been terminated early due to spouse/partner career concerns. Bearing in mind the survey is based on spouses/partners who have agreed to go (we thus do not have figures to demonstrate the full scale of this issue), we might predict this to be the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, over three-quarters of the respondents said that they would have welcomed help with finding employment and certainty in getting a work permit; yet under a fifth felt they had received adequate support in these areas.

Messages for employers and governments

These messages certainly appear to be a concern for employers, but with the current economic climate, perhaps yet again, complacency may set in. Labour markets are no longer tight, and potentially, therefore, there are others who will agree to relocate. Yes and no. Although, there may, in theory, be more people available within the labour market, expatriation is a risky and expensive business, and known and trusted individuals who have the appropriate competencies and expertise to make a business successful in troubled times could make the difference between success and failure in an international venture. Paying attention to spousal concerns is, therefore, critical in attracting the best talent to an international assignment and ensuring that the tour of duty is completed successfully. With the worsening economic climate, the risks to an individual and his or her spouse/partner of accepting an assignment grow – particularly if it means one member of the partnership losing their job or disrupting their career path. Such action is deemed to be almost a case of 'career suicide', as obtaining a job on return with a gap in the CV makes competition for roles even more difficult.

As the recession bites deeper, emphasis on survival transcends the individual business level. Governments are very concerned to see 'green shoots of recovery', which come through business investment. In turn, this is fuelled by human endeavour, underpinned by vital sources of key skills. The survey, therefore, also has important messages for governments, exhorting them to think beyond the short-term protectionism of labour markets. It reports that countries that enable spouses and partners to work are attractive destinations for 96% of respondents. It notes that this is an important signal for governments: if they want to attract international investment, companies will wish to be able to deploy their best people, and these employees will demand work opportunities for their accompanying spouses/partners. The provision of working visas for spouses/partners is thus a necessary component of any attempt to attract inward investment. This is reinforced by almost 60% of the respondents noting that they would be unlikely to relocate to a country in the future where it is difficult for a spouse or partner to get a work permit.

The survey population was highly educated: over four-fifths held bachelors', masters' or research degrees, with a similar proportion speaking at least two languages. Employment of such individuals locally must bring skills and talents into the local labour market for the benefit of the receiving country. In addition, the spouses and partners surveyed appear to be willing to be quite flexible in their quest for work abroad. While they worked in a wide range of occupations prior to expatriation, it is interesting to note that a quarter of those who had gained work abroad were in a different field or profession from that which they held prior to expatriation, and 40% said their job was at a lower level than back home. This is good news; spouses/partners are willing to show immense flexibility. What they are not prepared to do is to 'trail' without meaningful purpose.

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