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:
A Spanish Mobility Pro’s Journey to the Ukrainian Border
2022 Public Policy Quarterly Update
One Take Video: Immigration Policies in 2023
Tech Layoffs Change the Talent Landscape
U.K. Tenants Are Paying Soaring Rents
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A Spanish Mobility Pro’s Journey to the Ukrainian Border
Inigo Lopez—the chief executive officer at BiCortex Languages and BiCortex Translations—was at home in Burgos, Spain, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Overwhelmed with the need to help, Inigo packed his campervan with donated supplies and drove to the Polish/Ukraine border. Over nine days, Inigo drove more than 3,500 and helped transport 13 refugees to Spain.
Inigo’s journey didn’t end once his campervan was parked in Spain. In addition to being a member of Relocate the Profit, which is a group of global mobility companies that donate to different nongovernmental organization, Inigo offers free online Spanish lessons to Ukrainian refugees in Spain through his company BiCortex.
Worldwide ERC® is providing its members with a series of quarterly reports on public policy issues important to workforce mobility. The primary areas of policy interest this report are:
Immigration – EAGLE Act
Prohibition on Purchase of Real Estate by Non-Canadians
American Data Privacy and Protection Act
Protecting Personally Identifiable Information of Transferees
Reinstating the Moving Tax Deduction and Reduction
Worldwide ERC® President and CEO Lynn Shotwell sat down with Kelli Duehning, partner at global immigration firm BAL, for a One Take conversation about some of the major trends driving immigration in the United States, including labor shortages, layoffs, and legislation.
Talent wars to attract the best and the brightest have been around for many decades and accelerated as technology companies grew during the pandemic. However, as the world has recovered, e-commerce activity has stalled, resulting in tens of thousands of layoffs in the past few months. While all laid-off workers are entering a very competitive market, H-1B workers face a particularly challenging situation.
Why is this important?
The recent string of tech layoffs has left many workers who are living in the United States on temporary visas scrambling to find another job before their time is up and they have to leave the country. One of the biggest issues H-1B visa holders face is they only have a set amount of time to find another job, change their visa, or leave America. Typically, the 60-day grace period begins on the final day of employment.
Private rents in Britain have increased significantly and are now higher than ever before. The average advertised rent in Greater London has increased 16.1% from last year, which is the highest growth rate for any region on record. The latest price hikes are yet another reflection of the current state of chaos in the private rental market. This has made it very difficult for renters to find a place to live. The competition for studio flats is incredibly high; there are four times as many tenants looking for one as there are studio flats available.
Why is this important?
The ever-growing demand for housing is driving up rents. The only way to reduce the upward pressure on rents is by increasing the supply of housing. If the current growth in demand for rental homes continues, the U.K. will need nearly 230,000 new ones to avoid a shortfall. Until the U.K. reaches its goal of building 300,000 new homes, housing may continue to be a challenge. It may be difficult for relocating employees to find affordable rentals in the U.K. Without government intervention, rental costs may continue to rise as inventory remains low.
Benivo’s The View From The Top launched The Global Mobility Top Lists to recognize and celebrate the best among them using the wisdom of the crowd. The Top List, powered by peer nominations, has become the definitive list to recognize the movers, shakers, and innovators of the industry. The Most Innovative Corporate Professionals of 2022 was most recently announced.
Global Economic Snapshot
Croatia has been part of the European Union since 2013 and has been unilaterally applying the Schengen agreement. As of January 2023, it will become a full member of the borderless Schengen Area. Travelers will not be subject to border checks when entering/exiting Croatia from/to one of the other 26 Schengen Area countries. — Fragomen
A September survey from Blue Star Families found military families are spending more time and more money to find a place to live when they change duty stations. About half of the 2,200 families surveyed reported spending more than 20 days in temporary housing. The Defense Department only covers 14 of those days. Once they find a place to live, families reported spending an average $336 per month more than the military housing allowance on just rent or a mortgage, not including utilities. — NPR
The travel industry has seen demand taper since a summer surge. In 2022, pent-up travel demand began encroaching on retail’s momentum as pandemic shoppers turned into post-pandemic travelers. The cooldown comes in a year where the travel industry enjoyed major tailwinds after a turbulent couple of years due to COVID-19.
The Cost of Travel Has Declined as Demand Cools
Consumer prices for hotels, motels, and other lodging dropped nearly 5% in November from October, a sign that soaring travel demand has lost some momentum from the summer. Even as travel demand cools, revenues in the industry have remained stable due to higher prices. Flight bookings over Thanksgiving were down 7% compared to 2019, but higher fares allowed revenue to increase by 3%, according to Adobe data.
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