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Costs and environmental compatibility: These are the issues that are currently in the foreground when it comes to business trips. In its current International Mobility Report 2023, the leading international consulting and service company Aon plc sees these two factors as the most important drivers in the development of job-related mobility.
Also, remote work has increased through and during the COVID-19 pandemic, while business travel has tended to decrease. It turns out, however, that cross-border work is not quite as easy as initially thought: many countries are intervening with new laws. As a result, companies have to reconsider and adapt their policies.
After the end of the pandemic, costs are clearly number one on the list of priorities for those responsible. "Safety" and "employee wellbeing" are still important, but had to vacate their top spots from 2022. Aon expects that this will remain the case in the longer term, barring any extraordinary influences.
However, the ESG criteria (environment, social, governance) are much more important: While they were rated 2022th in 11, this year they have already moved up to 6th place in the list of priorities. Here, companies are primarily striving to reduce the number of trips (44 percent of respondents) and offset emissions (37 percent).
The idea of being able to work flexibly from anywhere in the world, e.g. For example, combining vacation and work away from the home office has become less attractive for companies. Only 50 percent now give the option of working remotely, compared to 63 percent last year. The fact that many countries have adapted and in some cases tightened their legislation and other regulations may play a role here.
According to Aon, changes in immigration policy in many countries also have a major impact, and the authors of the study expect more to come in the coming years. While some states are becoming more restrictive, others are trying to attract skilled workers and entrepreneurial minds.
“The impact of COVID-19 is barely noticeable in most regions. However, there is no return to 'business as usual' when it comes to international mobility. Other factors such as the current geopolitical situation, the energy crisis, global inflation and the lack of talented young people are coming to the fore,” explains Roland Weixler, Director Health Solutions Austria at Aon. “All of this has implications for the way we work together across borders. The fact that the issue of costs is at the top of the agenda for those surveyed should not hide the fact that there are a whole range of other challenges.”
For the "International Mobility Report 2023", Aon surveyed 400 managers from 18 industries in Europe. This created a meaningful picture of how companies are currently dealing with international mobility and cross-border work. The comparison with the studies from previous years provides an important basis for decision-making.
