What will "peak season" and National Moving Month hold for mobility programs?

While April is the unofficial start of the “peak season”, May is also “National Moving Month”! April to September is the busiest time of the year for moving, with nearly 80% of moves happening in this timeframe. Spring housing markets and summer breaks for U.S. schools make relocating easier for families, with one big issue…

Everyone else is moving during this window, too. That makes scheduling and getting services challenging and often more expensive.  

It's hard to say whether 2024's peak season will be as busy as past years, or if it will disrupt scheduling and availability to the same extent. Plus and our partners anticipate more of a “mini peak season” this year, where certain locations may have some challenges without the overall level of stress that was prevalent throughout years like 2019 and 2022. 

What does that mean for employees trying to relocate? This article speaks to summer travel in the U.S., suggesting that airfare costs will be mixed (up and down depending on specific locations), hotel rates are anticipated to be slightly down overall, and car rentals will be slightly up. Housing inventory seems to be increasing, but prices and rents. 

We recently did a breakdown in another post of costs for mobility programs for 2024, so you can check out that data if you want to see more comparisons.

One thing to consider about this year's peak season is that more people want to move for work. On top of corporate relocations, there are a greater number of voluntary and non-company sponsored relocations due to the balance of remote work, hybrid, and in-office opportunities around the country. While some of these “hand-raisers” or “self-initiated” relocations move across country or state boundaries, many are moving within a location to improve their living situation by being closer to family, reducing their cost of living, improving their lifestyle, or moving into a bigger house. These retail or Cash on Delivery (COD) types of moves are tapping shared resources like flights, shipments (land, sea and air), truck drivers, car rentals, fuel, corporate apartments, and hotels. That might reduce availability for corporate sponsored moves, making it difficult for suppliers to keep up with the overall raised level of demand.

Our best tip for surviving any peak season, even a mini" one, is to book early. All services have limited resources, so the sooner your employee can claim their spot, the better. But, of course, that can only happen if the move is initiated well in advance of the employee’s start date. Make it a point to communicate the extra time needed during peak season with your recruiters and hiring managers. Encourage your relocating employees to be patient and flexible when booking their services. Setting realistic expectations and start dates will be the key to a successful summer relocation season!

We'll be collaborating with our own partners to manage this “mini peak season” with relocating employee. That includes keeping you aware of any possible issues that we see showing up. Pay attention to Plus's bi-weekly In Case You Missed It posts, which give details on specific locations and countries where disruptions are likely (like Paris for this summer's Olympic Games).