Welcome to Mobility Minute, a newsletter published every Friday byWorldwide ERC®for the benefit of members and the global mobility and relocation industry. Here’s a quick glimpse of what you’ll find in this week’s issue:
Companies Debate Spending for Green Freight Transport
Enhanced 2023 Global Workforce Symposium Offers New Opportunities
Bill Modernizing the U.S. Immigration System Introduced in House of Representatives
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Companies Debate Spending for Green Freight Transport
Freight companies are expanding eco-friendly options, but higher costs and client reluctance hinder adoption. Procurement departments often reject sustainable fuel proposals in favor of cheaper but environmentally damaging alternatives. This division between environmental aspirations and action highlights a critical challenge. Significant investments are needed in fuels, infrastructure, and equipment, with the maritime industry expected to spend $3 trillion to eliminate emissions.
Why is this important?
The transportation industry anticipates a future where clients are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable shipping methods due to increasing consumer emphasis on sustainability. However, challenges remain, such as the difficulty of decarbonizing large trucks and the financial constraints faced by small and medium-sized freight companies. Policymakers also need to strike a balance between setting ambitious targets and ensuring a stable supply chain. Despite these obstacles, the industry is gradually moving towards zero-emission freight transport as awareness of environmental issues grows and businesses make eco-friendly commitments.
Enhanced 2023 Global Workforce Symposium Offers New Opportunities
Worldwide ERC® is preparing for the Global Workforce Symposium (GWS) in Boston from 17-20 October. GWS brings together the global mobility community, offering knowledge-sharing and networking with relocation experts. With the theme “Elevating Expectations,” the symposium aims to enhance networking opportunities and provide increased value to attendees through innovative approaches. The agenda includes interactive sessions, roundtable discussions, and case studies on important topics like sustainability, AI, technology, remote work, and immigration.
Bill Modernizing the U.S. Immigration System Introduced in House of Representatives
The Dignity Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives, proposes several significant changes to modernize the U.S. immigration system. The key provisions of the bill include increasing the per-country green card cap from 7% to 15%, reducing immigrant visa backlogs for individuals waiting for 10 years or more based on their priority date, and excluding spouses and children from visa caps for employment-based immigrant visas.
Why is this important?
Worldwide ERC®, represented by its president and CEO Lynn Shotwell, expressed support for the Dignity Act and emphasized the need to modernize the employment-based immigration system to address challenges faced by U.S. employers in talent management strategies. Despite bipartisan co-sponsorship, the bill may face challenges in Congress due to divisions on immigration and border security. Worldwide ERC will closely monitor any updates regarding the Dignity Act.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil is seeking to revive regional integration by organizing a meeting of South American leaders, leveraging the current political climate. The Union of South American Nations (Unasur), established 15 years ago to promote integration, fractured following a rightward shift in the region, with the last meeting involving all members occurring in 2014. — PBS
Despite a challenging global outlook and negative factors such as strained U.S. debt ceiling talks and weak Chinese economic data, Singapore remains optimistic about avoiding a recession this year due to a rebound in travel and services sector growth. However, the city-state’s heavy reliance on trade makes it vulnerable to disruptions, resulting in a projected decline of 8-10% in non-oil domestic exports in 2023. — Yahoo! Finance
Global supply chains are being disrupted as companies increasingly prioritize “reshoring,” seeking local sourcing options instead of relying on China and dealing with disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments like the U.S. and the European Union are actively incentivizing domestic manufacturing of computer chips and electric vehicle components to strengthen their own industries. — CNBC
The Roundup
2023 Global Workforce Symposium Call for Proposals – Worldwide ERC is actively looking for speakers willing to present our audience with relevant information on a variety of topics at GWS, held this year in Boston on 17-20 October.Learn more and submit.
Apply to serve as a 2024 Worldwide ERC® Board member –We are seeking members with leadership experience, industry knowledge, and volunteer commitment to apply for the board. Learn more.
Apply to serve on the 2024 Foundation Board of Trustees – We are seeking three trustees with leadership and/or foundation experience, industry knowledge, and volunteer commitment to apply for a trustee position. Learn more.
Worldwide ERC® Regional Summits –Worldwide ERCreturns to international events, gathering mobility professionals in both Singapore and Brazil this September. Registration is now open for the following regional summits:
Looking for an open position or hiring for a mobility-related role? Visit Worldwide ERC’s Career Center to view or promote current openings.
The Breakroom
This summer, air travel is projected to be even more congested, costly, and uncomfortable, leaving travelers grappling with heightened tensions and a scarcity of personal space. While airlines encourage passengers to unwind and find solace in their seats, certain travel etiquette experts urge travelers to not recline their seats.
Flier comfort preferences vary, and what is relaxing for one person may be uncomfortable or potentially harmful for another. While passengers have the right to recline their seats, travel experts suggest briefly assessing the potential impact on the person behind them and consider informing them politely before reclining.
While travel experts have different opinions on whether it’s acceptable to recline seats, they agree that airlines have made the problem worse by reducing the space between rows of seats in order to sell more tickets.
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