Welcome to the latest issue of Mobility Minute, a newsletter created by Worldwide ERC®. This now weekly newsletter will keep you up-to-date on news from and about the global workforce mobility industry.
What's happening?
Here's a quick glimpse of what you'll find in this week's Mobility Minute:
Workforce Mobility Issues in State of the Union
More than 1 Million Refugees Have Fled Ukraine
CEO Lynn Shotwell’s 2022 Outlook
EU Relaxes Travel Restrictions
Workforce Mobility Issues Factor into President Biden’s National Address
In his first State of the Union address to the nation this week, President Joe Biden touched on several topics of importance to global workforce mobility professionals.
With the world watching, Biden opened his address with the situation in Ukraine. Among the tragedies of the worsening conflict in Eastern Europe is the uprooting of lives, as Ukrainians flee the violence. As we reported earlier this week, updated figures from the UN Refugee Agency estimate that the number of war refugees has surpassed 1,200,000. Eventually, up to five million could be displaced as the conflict escalates.
Get the facts:
Our update this week provides country-by-country information on where people are and can go.
Domestically, President Biden declared this to be an infrastructure decade, with the goal of transforming America and putting us on “a path to win the economic competition of the 21st Century.” Our industry knows well the importance of reliable infrastructure to move talent to where it is needed most. Worldwide ERC® will continue working with the Biden Administration and Congress on implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to ensure our nation’s thruways and ports of entry and exit are working.
Worldwide ERC® will keep you updated and our industry at the table in Washington, D.C. recognizing that key business interests in this industry are impacted by policy choices and negotiations of those in power.
In last Friday’s edition of Worldwide ERC®’s Mobility Minute, Lynn Shotwell, President and CEO of Worldwide ERC® noted that the United Nations estimated that 100,000 Ukrainian war refugees had fled their homes as of last Friday.
Updated figures from the UN Refugee Agency estimate that number is now over 1,000,000. Eventually, up to five million could be displaced as the conflict escalates in Ukraine. Many countries are rising to the occasion to support, accept and process the mass exodus.
Get the facts:
The new total of refugees from Ukraine amounts to a little more than 2% of the country's total population of 44 million.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around half of the refugees are in Poland, with Hungary, Moldova, and Slovakia being the other top destinations, while others have fled to various other European countries.
The United Nations General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution condemning Russia for invading Ukraine and demanding that it withdraw its military forces.
Why is this important?
Austin Fragomen, Partner and Chairman of the Executive Committee for Fragomen, a global corporate immigration law firm, stated that Canada is prioritizing processing new and replacement passports and travel documents for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Ukraine, including family members who come with them. The country is also processing applications from people who currently live in Ukraine for permanent residence, proof of citizenship, and temporary residence.
Given the banking sanctions, accessing funds to leave Ukraine (or for any purpose) will be difficult. George Powdar, Senior Vice President, Global Reporting & Compliance of Altair Global, a Global Mobility Company, notes that “At present, payments with any connection, directly or indirectly, to the Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions will not be processed. Payments can be made into Ukraine and the western part of Ukraine. Also, payments can be made to Russian and Ukrainian beneficiaries. However, these payments are subject to review for compliance to the sanctions and will be approved on a case-by-case basis.”
Three immediate economic concerns around the Russian invasion of Ukraine include cyberattacks on shipping concerns, the cost of fuel, and the broad global impact of sanctions on Russia which provides raw materials to many industries.– NEI Global Relocation
Russia has long been a relatively minor player in the global economy, accounting for just 1.7 percent of the world’s total output despite its enormous energy exports. President Vladimir Putin has moved to further insulate it in recent years, building up a storehouse of foreign exchange reserves, reducing national debt, and even banning cheese and other food imports from Europe. – The New York Times
As 2021 came to a close, it was clear that soaring energy prices played a significant role in the US’ and the world’s economy—accelerating inflation problem. According to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), energy costs were the chief driver of inflation in 2021, rising 29 percent from 2020 on the whole, with gasoline surging by 50 percent and fuel-oil costs climbing by 41 percent. — International Banker
Russia’s economy is expected to plunge into a deeper recession than the one caused by Covid-19 as a result of western sanctions and the country’s increasing isolation after invading Ukraine. — The Guardian
Since it began in 1973, SWIFT has become an integral part of the flow of global trade. When a bank is a member of SWIFT, their instruction messages are cleared as secure immediately, so the transactions happen quickly. More than 11,000 financial institutions worldwide use SWIFT and they send around 38 million SWIFT messages daily, according to 2020 data. — TIME
The U.S. Treasury and the European Central Bank also announced that they would freeze Russia’s foreign reserves. What does that mean? The Russian central bank holds hundreds of billions of dollars that it can convert into rubles during a crisis to prop up the currency. By freezing the reserves held in Western banks, the U.S. and Europe are disarming Russia of its best weapon in the event of a currency crisis, essentially telling Russia: “Your assets are momentarily worthless. You don’t have $300 billion worth of assets. You have $0.” — The Atlantic
CEO Lynn Shotwell’s 2022 Outlook
"The global mobility and relocation industry is emerging from a global shockwave that left no aspect of our society untouched. How we live, work, and play have all changed. We know this. The question now: What are we, as an industry, going to do about it? My answer: We are going to change the game."
Get the facts:
Mobility is emerging from the pandemic as a more vital partner with transferees and their organizations.
Worldwide ERC® is assessing what industries thrived during the pandemic, such as cleaning and delivery services, grocery and liquor stores, game and fitness equipment companies, and telehealth services.
An interesting trend we are watching is a rise in self-service technologies, and we will soon release research that takes a deeper dive on tech trends to watch for our industry.
Why Is This Important?
“Worldwide ERC® brings the industry together to solve the tough challenges. As your world changes around you, we are adapting the support we provide to make it easier for you. In the coming weeks, I will be telling you more about what we are doing to serve you this year and advance our industry, but let me start by introducing four new team members who have come onboard since GWS: Michael Jackson who is getting us better organized as chief of staff; Elizabeth Bicer who is ensuring our education, certification, and credentialing deliver for you; John Lambo who is developing content you can rely on, and Robin Shoultz who is ensuring our customer service continues to be a success.”
“As we look to 2022, the power of our one industry is how we will change the game. Worldwide ERC will be here to make sure you have unbiased insights, credentialing, and access to peers and partners that will make you a game-changer.”
As restrictions continue to lift around the world, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says new data shows growing momentum in the recovery of air travel. IATA has reported a jump in ticket sales with an 11percent increase in international tickets sold between January 25 and February 8, compared to the same period in 2019. This is the fastest increase in sales since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Get the facts:
IATA found that 18 markets are open to vaccinated travelers without quarantine or pre-departure testing requirements.
EU travel ban guidance has been gradually loosening since June 2021 when the first non-European visitors could begin traveling to the continent again.
The EU’s easing travel restrictions only apply to the fully vaccinated and recently recovered within the last 180 days. Travelers are considered fully vaccinated if they received their final vaccine dose at least 14 days ago but no longer than 270 days (nine months).
Why is this important?
The EU’s announcement comes after a number of EU states created tougher travel rules to curb the spread of the highly communicable Omicron variant and the already-rampant Delta variant. Some of those rules were instituted abruptly, reversing months of easing restrictions. To curb Omicron’s spread, France, Germany, and the Netherlands imposed bans on incoming passengers, 10-day quarantine periods for arrivals, and new testing requirements.
The recent travel guidance change comes as the EU is working out more agreements with non-EU nations and “digital COVID-19 certificate” programs. The EU’s digital Covid pass eases travel by allowing airlines and airport officials to quickly ascertain vaccination status, tests, or prior COVID-19 infections. The newly relaxed rules allow EU member states to once again rely on digital COVID passes to exempt passengers from testing and quarantine requirements.
Aires Founder, Jim Putt, passed away on March 1, 2022. Jim Putt originally founded Aries — then known as American International Forwarding — in 1981. Jim grew the organization from an international household goods forwarding company to a leading global mobility firm, serving as the leader of Aires for more than 20 years. The Worldwide ERC® community mourns the loss of a global mobility industry leader. —Aires
Tailoring Mobility Needs to Organizational Culture. Read more on Worldwide ERC®.
U.S. International Student Enrollment Dropped as Canada’s Soared. Read more in Forbes.
Corporate sustainability pushes a $35 trillion dollar conundrum for auditors. Read more on Reuters.
Can Workers Climb the Career Ladder from Outside the Office? Read more in The New York Times.
How Adobe’s diversity chief uses data to build a more equitable workplace. Read more on Tech Crunch.
The 5 most in-demand remote jobs right now—and how much they pay. Read more on CNBC.
A massive work permit backlog is threatening to put immigrants out of work. Read more on Vox.
In 2020, Google Banned Meetings for a Week. It Unexpectedly Reinvented Remote Work. Read more in Inc.
On Tap
Webinar: Resilience: The Art of Recovering from Setbacks, March 16, 2022. Everyone has faced personal and professional challenges during the past 2 years. We lost family, friends, and colleagues. Businesses have been negatively impacted which are directly tied to our employment and income opportunities. How did leaders keep their teams afloat and safe, and what tough decisions needed to be made to keep business going? What did we do to respond to unpredictable needs of our confused and worried transferees? Click here to register for the webinar.
Registration Open for 2022 CRP® exam, the deadline is April 29, 2022. The deadline to apply to sit for the CRP® is April 29, 2022. This will be the ONLY opportunity to sit for the CRP exam this year. The Worldwide ERC® Certified Relocation Professional (CRP®) designation is the only credential dedicated to identifying professionals that demonstrate a broad understanding of managing employee mobility within the United States. Learn more on Worldwide ERC®.
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