One of the biggest challenges within expatriate programmes is the high cost associated with assignment housing. Although overall assignment durations have continued to decrease for most mobility programmes, with companies more frequently tapping into alternative assignment policies, extended business trips and short-term assignments, nearly 80% of midsize and large companies currently send professionals abroad-and 45% plan to increase the number they have on assignment according to the article The Right Way to Manage Expats.

That said, as companies continue to address their talent needs across the globe, assignments will continue to be a solution on many cases. Cost will remain a significant challenge in these situations and programmes will need to balance the cost versus the return they are getting on these assignments. If you are ever in need of sources for quality information on expatriate assignments, particularly within the APAC region, I encourage you to tap into this ECA report on accommodations in Asia and how rent levels changed in 2018. This article details that the fastest growing rental markets in the region were in China, and explains why. It also takes a peek into other Asia Pacific markets like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and even the Gulf States.

For more expat assignment trends, try this recent post: “What are the latest expat assignment trends?”