Press Release

Companies See Increase in Intra-European Relocations (Survey by Weichert Relocation Resources Inc. and Worldwide ERC Shows Mobility Trends)

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. -- Companies that relocate employees throughout Europe expect an increase in their intra-European activity over the next several years, noting that they have some unique challenges they’ll have to address for this market. This was just one of the significant findings in the Intra-European Assignment Survey, conducted by Weichert Relocation Resources Inc. (WRRI) and Worldwide ERC®. The survey’s respondents included human resource professionals from multi-national corporations located in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

“The considerable challenges posed by differences among European countries may indicate that the goal of many companies to administer one global policy simply isn’t feasible,” said Ellie Sullivan, Director of Consulting Services, WRRI. “Given the simultaneous pressure to reduce costs, companies may need to address these European-specific issues with regional guidelines that reflect local norms.”

“Economic growth within Europe is affording HR professionals the chance to play key strategic roles in their companies’ successes through effective global workforce mobility management,“ noted Jan Hatfield-Goldman, VP, Research & Education, Worldwide ERC. “Our survey has identified that the need for specialized relocation data and benchmarking information for European countries will be critical to helping them meet their objectives.”

The majority of survey participants currently move 1–25 expatriates annually on intra-European assignments. About one-third of respondents expect their companies’ activity within Europe to increase over the next three years. The majority of study participants indicate that the average length of an intra-European assignment is fairly short--one to three years—when compared to regular traditional assignments lasting three years or longer. Other findings from the survey:

• The top five destinations cited include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy.

• When asked to describe their greatest intra-European relocation challenge, about one-quarter cited differences in compensation, benefits, and pension schemes among European countries.

• Cost containment will be a driving factor over the next five years as companies continue to expand their business with Europe.

The Intra-European International Assignment Survey is available from Worldwide ERC® at http://www.erc.org/PERC_USA/publications.shtml.

Weichert Relocation Resources Inc. (WRRI) is one of the world’s largest global relocation and assignment management firms, delivering brighter mobility solutions to corporations and their employees. With a service reach encompassing over 120 countries, Weichert Relocation Resources serves over 500 clients throughout the world. The company’s service offerings include domestic relocation services, international assignment services, real estate management and resale services, financial services, payroll and tax services, household goods move management services, consulting services and group move management services. Weichert Relocation Resources has offices worldwide and more than 500 employees. For more information, visit wrri.com.