London, September 2025: ECA International, a global mobility insight provider, has revealed that just less than four in 10 (39%) companies have policies in place to provide support to the partners accompanying international assignees, presenting an opportunity for enterprises to differentiate their global mobility programmes. The findings are according to ECA International’s latest Benefits for International Assignments report, which also highlights that of the companies which do provide support, 93% do not compensate financially for the loss of a partner’s income. Instead, when support is provided, it tends to be non-financial, focusing on orientation, training and skills development. However, while nine in ten (90%) of global businesses said they don’t actively help an assignees’ partner find new employment, they do connect them with local recruiters (39%), networking events (35%), and career advisors (50%). Only a fifth (18%) provide help in finding volunteer opportunities. If a partner of an assignee stays in their home country for the duration of the programme, only 3% of companies provide support to them. The most common form of support from those that do is in providing travel grants for them to visit the employee in their host country (58%). Oliver Browne, Head of Content and Insights at ECA International, said: “These findings show there is more that companies can do when it comes to strengthening their mobility packages for the partners of assignees. This ultimately leads to a greater chance of an assignment being successful, especially when considering families not being able to settle in a host country is one of the main reasons relocation often fails. “And it is in providing the best possible support for families where the opportunity lies here for companies. Career advice and access to education, or training opportunities, are the most common measures, but this emphasises employability, rather than broader lifestyle or wellbeing support that is crucial for integration”.

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An area that has shown significant improvement is in the recognition of same-sex partners, the BIA survey shows.Indeed, 50% of organisations now recognise same-sex partners in married or civil partnership arrangements, up from 39% in 2021, so the support they do provide is wider reaching. However, regional differences remain in stark contrast. European companies lead the way, with more than 60% recognising unmarried partners of any orientation, while Asian companies remain much more conservative, with recognition rates of only 5%.Browne said: “It’s a positive step that same-sex partners are becoming more recognised in mobility policies. The corporate world has to be reflective of the wider societies we live in.“It’s important, though, to always recognise cultural differences, and review what support partners are being provided according to where they are relocating to.”To find out more about ECA International, please visit: eca-international.com.

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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.
www.eca-international.com.

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