Trends in corporate relocation

A look at Atlas’s 2017 Corporate Relocation Survey reveals some strong trends for the future of mobility. The survey, conducted for the 50th year, takes a deep dive into relocation volumes, budgets and policies to give us a snapshot of the current state of mobility and what to watch for.

One undeniable trend is the use of core-flex policies. According to the survey, nine out of 10 companies report using fixed/flexed benefits or core/menu-driven policies! That’s a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon. Companies are taking full advantage of the flexibility and cost savings that come with letting an employee choose the benefits most important to them.

One of the most surprising trends is the use of lump sums, specifically the use of lump sums to cover household goods shipments and storage. According to the survey, lump sum provisions to cover household goods shipping and storage has increased progressively from 28% in 2011 to 44% in 2016. That’s a lot of gross-up paid for a non-taxable benefit! Looks like companies are prioritizing ease of administration over cost savings. This will be an interesting one to watch.

A few other notable trends:

• For each of the past three years, nearly half of companies report their relocation budgets increased from the previous year.
• 32% of companies report having no tiers/single policies for domestic relocation, while 49% report having two or three tiers.
• Candidate assessments have come into widespread use. For the last three years, roughly three-fourths of firms assessed candidates prior to relocation, a vast increase over the roughly half of firms that performed some level of vetting from 2012 to 2014.