Global firms prioritise strategic value of international assignments despite challenges

ECA International's 2025 Managing Mobility Survey, which gathered insights from 262 organisations across 30 countries, found that 95% of firms now outsource at least one mobility function to combat skills shortages and support growth objectives.Key findings:

• High strategic value – International mobility is increasingly recognised as crucial for expertise transfer and company growth, with organisations strategically deploying talent to address skills gaps and provide international experience for potential senior management. The survey reveals a clear shift towards more strategic work for mobility professionals, with transactional responsibilities increasingly automated or outsourced.
• Family concerns derail assignments – Despite money being the primary focus during negotiations, family concerns remain a frequent cause of assignment failures with it being cited as the second most common reason for assignment failure. Employees or their families being unable to adapt to host locations remains a significant challenge, highlighting the importance of comprehensive support beyond financial packages.
• Rising costs – Administrative costs for international assignments have increased since ECA's previous survey, with average annual costs reaching USD 9,800 (EUR 9,200) per long-term assignment and USD 8,700 (EUR 8,200) per short-term assignment. While larger programmes find efficiencies through technology and cost spreading, measuring return on investment remains problematic.
• Lagging tech adoption – Only 3% of companies report being fully satisfied with their mobility technology. Despite its recognised potential, AI adoption in global mobility remains tentative, with only a small minority of companies having introduced AI into their processes so far.

_{Managing mobility – ECA Survey Report 2025}

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"As global mobility continues to evolve, we're seeing organisations struggle to balance transactional and strategic responsibilities," said Oliver Browne, Head of Content and Insights at ECA International. “With 60% of respondents finding this balance challenging or very challenging, there's a clear need for more efficient processes and better technology integration to free up mobility professionals for more value-added work."The survey also found that finding suitably skilled candidates for long-term international assignments remains challenging for many organisations, emphasising the importance of effective talent management strategies. One solution to these difficulties lies in increasing the talent pool, with 42% of companies implementing diversity policies to achieve this.ECA International’s survey covered various industries, with significant representation from finance, engineering and tech.Download the full ECA survey report here.To find out more about ECA International, please visit: eca-international.com.

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About the survey

The 2025 Managing Mobility Survey by ECA International gathered insights from 262 organisations headquartered in 30 countries across various industries and regions. The survey examined multiple aspects of global mobility management, including cost management, technology adoption, talent acquisition, and strategic alignment with business objectives.

About ECA International

ECA International helps organisations manage cross-border workforces with confidence. Our integrated platform and advisory services cover the full spectrum of global mobility—from long-term assignments and international remote work to business travel compliance and cost benchmarking.With over 50 years of experience and a customer base spanning 300+ locations worldwide, we support the mobility programmes of companies headquartered in more than 70 countries, managing over one million employees across borders.Our proprietary data underpins key decisions, from pay and benefits to compliance risk and policy design. This includes cost-of-living and housing benchmarks in over 500 locations, and survey insights drawn from global employers across all industries.ECA’s platform brings together tax, immigration, assignment tracking, and travel compliance into a single, streamlined experience for HR, mobility and reward teams. Tracker Software Technologies became part of ECA in 2024. Global Expat Pay, supported by ECA since 2022, continues to operate independently while benefitting from shared insight and infrastructure.

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