After several years of disruption, 2025 felt like the year […]
After several years of disruption, 2025 felt like the year global mobility finally found its footing again. Organizations are rethinking how they place talent, develop careers, and support moves in a way that fits how work happens now. What we’re seeing across the industry is not a return to old patterns- it’s a rethink of mobility’s purpose and the expectations that come with it. The conversations mobility leaders are having today sound completely different from the ones happening even a couple of years ago.
A big part of that shift is the increased influence mobility teams now hold inside their organizations. In 2025, mobility moved from the sidelines to the strategy table. Leaders are recognizing that mobility is not just an administrative process, but a powerful tool for shaping skills, accelerating careers, and building the workforce a company needs for the future. Relocation is no longer something that happens after decisions are made- instead, it’s helping inform those decisions and driving conversations about talent growth.
We’re seeing this play out most clearly in the growing demand for flexible mobility policies. Studies this year show how employees are shaping their own mobility journeys and expecting support that fits their goals and circumstances. People are exploring cross-border opportunities earlier and want clearer choices and support, rather than rigid, predefined packages. Companies have taken notice, and 2025 was a year of rethinking policy design so it flexes with the individual rather than forcing the individual to fit the policy.
This focus on flexibility becomes even more important when you look at generational expectations. Gen Z employees, many taking their first international assignments, are looking for structure, guidance, and human support that helps them navigate uncertainty. Senior leaders, by comparison, want autonomy. They prefer flexibility, efficiency, and the ability to tailor services around their experience and priorities. These preferences reflect where each group is in their career, this last year companies have become far more intentional about designing mobility experiences that meet both sets of needs.
For a deeper look at how these generational differences play out, read our recent article on : The generational divide in global mobility.
Another clear trend seen in 2025 is the shift in the types of assignments companies are leaning into. Traditional long-term expatriate moves are becoming less common as organizations look for ways to move talent faster and more efficiently. Speed has become a competitive advantage, and mobility is being redesigned to keep up.
Short-term assignments, project-based deployments, and other agile models have gained traction because they mirror the pace of modern work. This shift is showing up across industries, with companies turning to more adaptable structures that allow them to respond to business needs quickly without the weight and cost of a legacy assignment model.
Compliance has also become a much bigger part of the mobility conversation this year. Immigration systems are becoming more digital, which streamlines some steps but also brings stricter documentation standards and more scrutiny. At the same time, companies are taking a closer look at tax exposure, data governance, and the overall risk that comes with moving people across borders. Mobility teams are spending more time partnering with legal, tax, and security functions to make sure the right guardrails are in place.
All of these shifts made 2025 a defining year for global mobility, but they’re not ending here. The conversations happening across mobility teams, talent leaders, and employees point to a continued push toward flexibility, sharper risk management, and more intentional career pathways in the year ahead. As we begin 2026, it is clear that mobility will continue evolving into a more strategic, experience-led, and future-focused function, shaping not only how people move but why organizations move them.
2026: What’s taking shape?
As we enter 2026, talent shortages are expected to deepen, creating even more pressure on organizations to widen their search for critical skills. Reports from the World Economic Forum show that employers across nearly every industry are struggling to fill roles, and many of the countries facing the tightest labour markets are also grappling with rapidly aging populations.
Data shows that one in five workers in advanced economies is already over 55, a number set to rise in the years ahead. With experienced employees retiring faster than new talent can be developed, companies are preparing for more cross-border hiring, more competitive relocation strategies, and a greater emphasis on mobility as a tool for closing skills gaps that local markets can no longer fill.
At the same time, mobility programs are entering a new era of data-driven decision making. Predictive analytics is becoming the next essential capability for 2026. Instead of simply reporting what happened during a move, organizations will need tools that can forecast fluctuating assignment costs, highlight compliance risks before they surface, and identify which moves are most likely to support long-term career growth.
Geopolitical and regulatory volatility will also likely shape how organizations approach mobility in 2026. Immigration rules are shifting more frequently, economic conditions remain uneven across regions, and global tensions continue to influence where companies feel confident placing talent. These pressures are prompting mobility teams to rethink how and where they move people, and to diversify where talent is located.
As a result, organizations are exploring more diversified and resilient mobility models. Many are building multi-hub approaches, expanding the use of short-term or project-based assignments, and creating assignment structures that allow them to shift talent quickly when conditions change. The focus for 2026 is on mobility frameworks that can scale, adapt, and keep business moving even when the global landscape becomes unpredictable.
2026 is shaping up to be a year where mobility becomes far more central to business strategy.
Sources:
https://kpmg.com/cy/en/home/insights/2025/10/global-mobility-benchmarking-report.html
https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insights/workforce/mobility-reimagined-survey
