International Assignments on the Rise

Multinational companies are significantly increasing the number of international assignments they
offer their staff, especially the number of female expatriates has increased. Some 44 per cent of
multinational companies report an increase in the number of international assignments to and from
locations other than the headquarters over the past two years, according to the annual International
Assignments Survey carried out by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The survey of some 200
multinational firms worldwide found that much of the increase in the number of international
assignments is due to the growing use of short-term placements which have become more prevalent
over the past few years. The survey also reveals that the number of female expatriates has increased
significantly, making up more than one in 10 (13 per cent) of such assignments today as opposed to
8 per cent five years ago. North America and Asia/Pacific lead this trend, with women now
comprising 15 per cent of North American companies‘ expatriate population and 14 per cent of
those in Asia/Pacific. Companies in Europe now lag other regions, with women accounting for 10
per cent of their expatriates in the most recent survey, compared to 7 per cent five years ago. The
study also found that many multinationals provide programs to help expatriates and their families
adjust to a new host location. Almost three-quarters provide language tuition and six out of 10 back
this up with cross-cultural training.
Excerpted from: Management Issues News, 24 May 2006

Gender Internationalität Sprache Englisch