Welcome to the June 10 issue of Mobility Minute, a newsletter published each Friday by Worldwide ERC® for the benefit of members and the global mobility and relocation industry as a whole. If you have a news tip or a suggestion for improving the newsletter, drop us a line.
What's happening?
Here's a quick glimpse of what you'll find in this week's Mobility Minute:
CDC Lifts Covid-19 Test Requirement for International Travel to the U.S.
Federal Data Privacy Draft Bill Released
New England Relocation Association Holds Summer Conference
New Visa Program Welcomes Elite Grads to the UK
CDC Lifts Covid-19 Test Requirement for International Travel to the U.S.
As of June 12, 2022, the CDC no longer requires air passengers departing from a foreign country to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board their flight.
The rule, put in place by the Trump administration in early 2021 and later tightened by the Biden administration, most recently required inbound travelers, including U.S. citizens, to show proof of a negative Covid test a day before boarding U.S.-bound flights.
Why is this important?
The move is another sign of a new era of COVID-19 where some of the measures designed when the virus was seen as an overwhelming crisis are being wound down. According to the World Health Organization, the number of new weekly COVID-19 cases has continued to decline since its peak in January 2022, as has the number of new weekly deaths. Still, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns that there isn't enough testing globally, and vaccination rates are meager in low-income countries.
On Friday, June 3, House and Senate leaders released a bipartisan discussion draft of a comprehensive data privacy bill called the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). Although many federal privacy bills have been introduced in the past, this discussion draft is gaining widespread attention because of its timing and bipartisan support.
Why is this important?
The bill includes an agreement between Republicans and Democrats — for the first time — on two areas that have blocked previous efforts: whether a federal privacy law can preempt state laws and whether individuals should have the right to sue companies that illegally share their data or use it in ways the law prohibits.
Though privacy laws exist in several states - including California, Virginia, and Colorado - the U.S. does not yet have an all-encompassing federal data privacy law, which would act as a comprehensive measure to protect consumers’ private data from being misused, even in states without regulations. The ADPPA would preempt most of these existing state laws, according to the draft legislation.
2022 Global Workforce Symposium Call for Proposals
We are seeking case studies of resiliency, innovation, and lessons learned in navigating the challenges and laying a course for a better future. The submission deadline is June 28, 2022. Selected proposals will be scheduled to be presented live at GWS in Las Vegas from October 26-28.
After more than two years of battling to get sufficient goods into the country, many U.S. companies suddenly have too much of some items and not enough of others. The disconnect between overflowing warehouses and changing consumer tastes reflects the challenge confronting many businesses as the economy twists in unpredictable ways. — The Washington Post
The U.S. dollar, which is traditionally seen as a safe asset in risky times and usually benefits from higher interest rates, has risen, putting currencies in other countries under pressure. Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell below $24,000 to its lowest level since December 2020. — BBC
After two
The National Association of Realtors calculates that the cost of purchasing a house in the U.S. jumped 55% since 2021. But extend your frame of reference by a decade or two and 2022 is still a great time to buy a house. —Forbes
The International Monetary Fund forecasts global growth in 2022 at 4.4%, but these projections are being revised downwards as conflict and the fallout from sanctions ripple across global markets. — World Economic Forum
The Fed is currently attempting to avoid a recession by engineering what’s known as a “soft landing,” in which incremental interest rate hikes are used to curb inflation without pushing the economy into recession. But a successful soft landing is extremely rare as the monetary policy needed to slow down the economy is often enforced too late to make any meaningful impact. — CNBC
New England Relocation Association Holds Summer Conference
The theme of the New England Relocation Association (NERA) conference was the timely topic of Mobility and Employee Well-being: How to Align in 2022. Speakers, panelists, moderators, and audience members, discussed several of the points noted in the WERC article, A Silver Lining of the Pandemic, including recognizing the overall complexity of humanity and the many factors that contribute to a person’s well-being.
Why is this important?
Panelists discussed their respective company’s efforts to recognize and honor the relocating employees’ multi-faceted lives that need to be considered for a successful relocation. Equality, flexibility, and tiered policies vs. one policy for relocating employees were several methods the panelist’s companies addressed the issue.
On a broader scale, panelists agreed that any effort to support all employees must be embraced by leadership, promoted to employees, and employees need to be encouraged to utilize services without stigma and judgment.
The United Kingdom has recently introduced a new immigration scheme specifically designed for "High Potential Individuals." The High Potential Individual visa program in the United Kingdom allows graduates from 37 top-rated universities in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the United States to enter the country without having a job offer. Applicants who have graduated from one of these institutions in the last five years may apply for a two- or three-year visa.
Why is this important?
The U.K. is facing a severe labor shortage, and this new visa program attempts to persuade highly qualified workers to relocate there. The government claimed the plan would draw "the world's brightest and best" and contribute to the national economy. On the other hand, the critics claim that the strategy promotes worldwide imbalances and disadvantages most developing nations.
Deloitte study finds that Millennials and Gen Z worry about sustainability at work and their employers’ values. Read more on Insurance Newsnet.
Achieving gender balance in management teams requires focusing on the role that the leadership environment plays in shaping ambitions, opportunities, and experience. Read more in the MIT Sloan Management Review.
Will technology replace H.R.? Read more on People Matters.
Immigration experts encourage employers to stay informed about regional movements of employees holding H-1B visas. — Read more on H.R. Dive.
The housing market is cooling as an estimated 25% of home listings cut their asking prices. Read more on Market Watch.
On Tap
2022 Global Workforce Symposium, October 25, 2022 – October 28, 2022 — We’re living in a time of great transformation. The global pandemic and the advance in technology is changing how humans live, move, and work. What do these changes mean for the workforce mobility industry? Join us this fall as we build the game plan for how mobility responds. Click here to learn more about the 2022 Global Workforce Symposium.
