What are some of the specific challenges mobility professionals are facing right now?
In a survey Sterling Lexicon conducted with Deloitte in early 2025, we asked global mobility professionals what would be on their “wish list” to make their jobs easier.
The answers overwhelmingly fell into three broad categories:
- Greater automation and efficiencies to free up time for more strategic priorities
- More support / increased staff
- Better integration and collaboration with other areas of the business
Being called upon to “do more with less” remains a challenge, but given the rapid pace of advancements in technology, some of this pressure may be easing.
"Implement AI to maximize process efficiency, leading to an improved employee experience."
- Survey respondent's top wish list item
Top 5 in 2025
Biggest Priorities for Global Mobility This Year
We also asked mobility professionals to identify their top priorities, and found that improving the employee experience was a clear outlier to tackle in 2025, cited by 66 percent of respondents.
This is interesting, because for some time now, balancing containing costs with positive experiences tended to top most industry lists, followed by challenges like high housing costs, or housing shortages.
These challenges are still present – in fact, improving cost-saving measures was priority number two – but companies are clearly putting a greater emphasis on ensuring positive employee experiences.
Other priorities for 2025 included:
Improving cost-saving measures
Achieving better integration with the overall business
Improving data collection, analysis and reporting
Achieving better alignment with talent management
"Further alignment across talent acquisition and organizational development functions."
- Survey respondent's top wish list item
Global mobility professionals also reported that they want to improve reporting and cross-functional alignment, particularly with other talent-related areas of the business.
That last point is an important one: The role of those charged with managing mobility continues to shift to more closely align with and contribute to overall talent management, and with good reason: A McLean & Company’s HR Trends Report 2025 finds that organizations with purposeful and effective talent management—
- Have a greater ability to move talent quickly to respond to strategic needs.
- Create positive employee experiences through opportunities for career development and advancement.
- Successfully position HR as a strategic partner.
- Outperform competitors in overall performance, talent attraction and retention.
As companies look to achieve the knowledge transfer and skill building we explore in Phase 1, global mobility, HR and service provider partners have a crucial role to play. This involves not just identifying the right candidates and executing successful assignments, but also regularly collaborating with other areas of the business on a more strategic, holistic level.
Easier said than done, perhaps, but read on for a few ideas to help you get started.
"Seamless collaboration with other departments and systems."
- Survey respondent's top wish list item
