Welcome to the May 6 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:
A Guide on Environmental Sustainability for Global Mobility Professionals
Lynn Shotwell on How Employers and Employees Are Reworking Work Together
The Great Resignation Has Not Slowed in 2022
Immigrants Get Extension for Expiring or Expired U.S. Work Permits
A Guide on Environmental Sustainability for Global Mobility Professionals
With government and business leaders focused on the future welfare of the planet and creating just societies—whether in response to public opinion, industry commitments, consumer action, or a belief in taking the right action—sustainability goals are increasingly moving from corporate mission statements to action plans. Global mobility professionals have their own unique role to play in supporting the efforts of their organizations—whether in instructing global assignees on the complexities of sustainability in the host locations, choosing their vendor-partners on the basis of their sustainability activity, or structuring their programs to minimize their carbon footprints.
Why is this important:
This member-driven project formally began with conversations at the 2021 Global Workforce Symposium, highlighting our common desire to work together to reduce our environmental footprint. This members-only document, “Environmental Sustainability: A Guide for Global Mobility Professionals,” provides the mobility community with unbiased information to address the pressing need to reduce the environmental impact of the mobility industry.
Lynn Shotwell on How Employers and Employees Are Reworking Work Together
Lynn Shotwell, President, and CEO of Worldwide ERC, is a mission-focused leader with unique expertise in the intersection of international employment law, global talent mobility, and corporate social responsibility. Shotwell recently spoke with Authority Magazine as part of a series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together.”
Why is this important?
In this interview, Shotwell reflects on the impact remote work has had on the workplace and makes predictions about the future of work. For employers looking to future-proof their organizations, Lynn recommends focusing on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies to future-proof organizations. Sustainability commitments will only become more widespread and stakeholder-tested as climate change remains center stage in the business world. So too will DE&I efforts, with companies being asked to do more to address biases within their industries. Read the full interview in Authority Magazine to learn more about Lynn’s thoughts on the Great Resignation, societal changes needed to support workers, and the top five trends that she’s tracking for the future of work. Read more in Authority Magazine.
Global Economic Snapshot
The average new single-family home sold for $360,000 in April 2020. By March 2022, that sales price had risen by 45% to $524,000. At the same time, the mortgage available to two people making average hourly earnings has dropped to $144,000 if payments are limited to 28% of monthly income.—Axios
Travel volumes have reached their highest level since the pandemic began as airlines struggle to staff up to meet demand. Airlines report hiring thousands of workers in 2022 to replace the thousands they encouraged to retire early and take buyouts in the past two years, but training infrastructure is creating chokepoints. —Wall Street Journal
The Bank of England has warned that the cost-of-living crisis could plunge the economy into recession this year as it increased interest rates to tackle soaring inflation that is expected to rise above 10% in the coming months. —The Guardian
Economists are debating whether recent supply chain turmoil and geopolitical conflicts will result in a reversal or reconfiguration of global production, in which factories that were sent offshore move back to the United States and other countries that pose less political risk. If that happens, a decades-long decline in the prices of many goods could come to an end or even begin to go in the other direction, potentially boosting overall inflation. —The New York Times
The EU is working on plans to decrease dependence on Russian gas and oil by 2024. Other states and big private energy companies, such as Shell, BP, Equinor, and Exxon are leaving Russia. Markets are reacting with a gas and oil price surge. Security and affordability will play a key role in state policy of energy companies, as the urgency to no longer be dependent on fossil fuels has become more salient through the war in Ukraine and after the release of the IPCC's latest climate report. — World Economic Forum
The Great Resignation Has Not Slowed in 2022
The phrase "The Great Resignation" refers to an unheard-of percentage of the workforce quitting their jobs worldwide over the past year. People were quitting for a variety of reasons in 2021, including bad management, poor working conditions, and a lack of personal freedom. When it appeared that their organizations or fields of work were no longer the correct matches, large numbers of people left for better offers.
Why is this important?
People are reassessing what matters most to them, determining the traditional corporate career ladder is no longer relevant and seeking things such as more flexibility and work-life balance. The exit of workers in 2021 has continued to gain momentum into 2022, but what does this signify for the future? When it comes to working from home, the majority of people believe that you should seek out the finest possible work conditions.
Immigrants Get Extension for Expiring or Expired U.S. Work Permits
Most immigrants with recently expired, or soon-to-expire work permits will be able to continue working on those documents for up to a year and a half after they expire under a new policy announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday. The policy is meant to address the unprecedented backlog of 1.5 million work-permit applications at the nation’s legal immigration agency, leaving tens of thousands unable to work legally and exacerbating labor shortages.
Why is this important?
Millions of immigrants in the U.S. are eligible for work permits. Immigrants eligible to renew their work permits can file for that renewal six months before their documents formally expire. This policy change allows eligible immigrants to work on expired documents for up to 540 days rather than 180.
Some immigrants eligible for work permits, including DACA recipients and some spouses of H-1B visa holders, won’t benefit from the new policy because they were never eligible for the 180-day extension on their expired work permits. But other categories of immigrants, such as asylum seekers—who make up 65% of all pending renewals—will benefit.
Globally, domestic relocations continue to rise as corporates look to outsource more domestic relocations in their search for talent. Read more on Worldwide ERC.
State Lawmakers Push Back on ESG Metrics. Read more on Worldwide ERC.
AIRINC’s 2022 Mobility Outlook Survey explores predictions from global mobility leaders. Read more on AIRINC.
Keep the door open for boomerang employees. Read more on HR Morning.
Law firm says staff can work from home - for 20% less pay. Read more on the BBC.
DocuSign’s chief diversity and engagement officer on how to use data to improve DEI. Read more on Protocol.
These best practices can help you lead a distributed workforce effectively. Read more in Inc. Magazine.
On Tap
Spring Virtual Conference, May 17-19, 2022. Our team is excited about the sessions at the Worldwide ERC Spring Virtual Conference, where we will re-convene the industry vertical sessions to facilitate focused conversations on employee experience, real estate, technology, mortgage, immigration, relocation management, corporate and temporary housing, and moving and shipping. All sessions are recorded and will be available to registrants within an hour. Special thanks to Fragomen, BAL, Prime Lending, Rocket Mortgage, and Stewart Title Relocation Services for their support and participation. Click here to register.
Worldwide ERC Member-Only Open Forum: This is a large public forum for open conversation, industry announcements, and sharing. Click here to join the open forum.
A scroll through the UNWTO's Destination Tracker reveals the majority of the places reliant on tourism dollars have dropped quarantine restrictions and are welcoming travelers—albeit some still come with a few caveats such as mandatory Covid-19 tests on arrival, tests before you fly, mandatory quarantines if tests come back positive, and so on.
Countries with long border closures are finally reopening: But while most of the world's popular destinations have reopened, there are a few tourism favorites that remain off-limits to leisure travelers—regardless of their willingness to test, get vaccinated, and quarantine. Here are some holdouts:
Japan The country continues to relax its strict entry measures — the limit on the number of new arrivals per day has been raised to 10,000 persons effective April 10, 2022 — but this does not include leisure tourists.
China Foreign nationals are not permitted to enter for leisure tourism at this time. As for a reopening timeline, back in October 2021, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said China may open its borders after it vaccinates over 85% of its population "by early 2022."
Several Pacific Islands A number of places in this region remain closed to holidaymakers, including Samoa, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands. Read more on CNN.
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