Labour Mobility research
Doing Bussiness
The World Bank's 'Ease of doing business index' shows setting up a company
in France needed 41 procedures in 2003 however since 2008 an entrepreneur only
has to deal with 7 procedures. Hungary went from 52 procedures to 5. In Spain
future businesses had to wait 4 months in 2003, now it takes them just 47 days.
Another remarkable result was achieved by Belgium where in 2003 entrepreneurs
generally had to wait 56 days, in contrast with the 4 average waiting days in
2008. The Netherlands scores relatively well, when it comes to doing business;
having 6 procedures which will take on average 10 days. Those numbers seem quite
significant. However, entrepreneurs in Canada and Australia can get started
almost right away. In Canada there is only one procedure, even if the waiting
days increased from 3 to 5. In Australia you have to deal with just 2 procedures,
on average taking you between 2 and 3 days. Not surprisingly, in the 'Ease of
doing business index', Canada, Australia and the United States rank among the
first ten countries out of 183.
Source: World Economic Forum.
Holiday entitlement
Global ranking list of legal holiday entitlements:
Source:Research Mercer October 2009.
What happens when the expatriate returns home?
Repatriation
is often the 'forgotten' phase of the expatriation cycle; the emphasis for support
is most of the times on the (preparation of the) actual period abroad. Many
repatriates report experiencing
difficulties on return (e.g. new knowledge gained is not being used; home is
not the same place anymore; practical (housing) problems; problems for spouse
or children). The difficulties are highly influenced by factors like self-management,
spouses' adjustment, time spend abroad and skill utilization. Expertise in Labour
Mobility conducted a small scale research and comes up with some tips:
- Ensure a high level of communication before, during, and after the assignment
- Introduce a mentor programme aimed at expatriates
- Use settling-in services; helping the expatriate and family with practical issues upon return
- Make the expatriate feel understood & valued (this may sound as an open door, but …)
- Increase job satisfaction through challenging extra tasks
- Pay attention to the returning family of the repatriate
- Make use of all the knowledge an expat has gained!
Because losing a repatriate is losing a one million-dollar investment, the advice is to provide basic support to all repatriates, and try to put attention to the repatriate and his/ her family.
How to become an attractive expat location - what really counts:
According to a report by NUFFIC (Dutch organisation for international collaboration
in the field of higher education) the top 10 countries of origin of knowledge
migrants in the Netherlands are: India, China, the United States, Turkey, Indonesia,
Australia, Russia, Japan, South Africa and Canada. Almost half of all knowledge
migrants are from one of the first three countries mentioned. But how much do
host countries of highly skilled workers today really know about the employees'
motivation for choosing a particular country as a destination?
Knowledge of actual preferences and needs is essential when a country is trying
to become an attractive location for expats and highly skilled labour migrants.
Next to excellent work opportunities, there are various factors which can make
one country potentially more attractive than another. The reduction of red tape
and bureaucratic hurdles is probably one of the most essential tasks when it
comes to facilitating visa and work permit application procedures. Furthermore,
international schooling for children and the possibilities of parner employment
can increase the foreign employee's interest in a certain country. Undoubtedly,
an international atmosphere will help - think of foreign language productions
in the cultural agendas of cities etc. However, a truly welcoming environment
has the greatest impact. A country that offers assistance and provides long-term
opportunities will stand the best chances to finally win the global competition
for talent.
The current financial crisis is fierce, but temporary. The global shift in opportunities
for talented people is where our focus should be. Countries, regions and companies
that are truly looking ahead will have to provide an environment that attracts
talent.
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Photography: © Eric Sijbrands/Expertise in Labour Mobility.
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