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:
H-1B Visa Backlog May Hinder American Innovation
Video: New and Changing Global Immigration Trends Pose Challenges and Opportunities
The Lighter Side of GWS
Is the Future of Remote Work Actually Hybrid?
Minnesota Employee Relocation Council Holds Annual Conference
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H-1B Visa Backlog May Hinder American Innovation
The H-1B application procedure is becoming increasingly outdated and failing to live up to its intended purpose of allowing world-class innovative businesses to tap into the talent pool. The number of H-1B visa holders who may enter the United States is limited by Congress each year, and that limit has now been far surpassed by the labor market’s needs.
Why is this important?
For many highly educated foreign people, the United States has long been a desired destination to pursue the finest career possibilities. But if the U.S. continues to restrict skilled immigration so severely, it will become increasingly difficult for companies to attract and retain highly educated young people.
New and Changing Global Immigration Trends Pose Challenges and Opportunities
Lynn Shotwell recently sat down with Audrey Lustgarten, managing partner of WR Global—the global immigration office of WR Immigration—for a One Take conversation. Drawing from a wealth of experience and expertise, Lustgarten explained how WR Immigration is equipping companies with the resources to tackle the most difficult barriers to immigration today.
It’s almost time for the games to begin! Worldwide ERC®’s Global Workforce Symposium (GWS) in Las Vegas is just under three weeks away (25–28 October), with an anticipated 1,300-plus global mobility professionals joining from all over the world.
Highlighting this year’s theme of “Game On,” our sponsors are hosting some fun (and free!) events to entertain and engage attendees between keynote speakers and informative professional sessions. See our recommendations below to make the most of your time at GWS2022.
In the 2022 Worldwide ERC report of over 500 CHROs and senior HR leaders, 45% of respondents said their workforce was working hybrid, with the most common arrangement being working from the office two days per week and working from home three days per week. Thirty-nine percent of workers come into the office everyday, and just 5% of respondents’ workforce are working entirely remotely.
Why is this important?
A flexible work schedule has become paramount for a successful work culture. On top of that, work flexibility, one of the biggest advantages of the hybrid work model, is a large incentive for both attracting and retaining a talented workforce. A company with a strong work culture can find positives to the hybrid model of work by creating a balance of in-person connection and collaboration and work schedule flexibility.
Minnesota Employee Relocation Council Holds Annual Conference
The Minnesota Employee Relocation Council (MERC) Annual Conference, held 24–25 August, was made possible by Conference Chair Craig Partin of Suite Home Corporate Housing. Alongside MERC President Richard Rudeen of Relocation Today, they planned a fantastic two-day experience for everyone traveling to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”
The MERC Annual Conference was themed “Full Steam Ahead,” and sessions included contributions from Greater MSP Partnership’s CEO Peter Frosch, who shared insights and plans of how Greater MSP Partnership works to attract and retain business and growth within the Twin Cities.
Fragomen’s Worldwide Immigration Trends Report tracks the changes surrounding the key drivers and themes of immigration policy. The Q2 2022 supplement discusses important current events and how they are shaping the immigration landscape.
Global Economic Snapshot
UK businesses plan to invest more in business travel over the next 12 months, reflecting the importance of business travel to their continued success, according to new research by American Express. — Business Leader
The Port of New York recently became the nation’s busiest port, surpassing the traffic at the California ports. Amid the supply chain congestion issues of the pandemic era, new shipping routes from the East Coast ports to the West relying on rail have become more popular. — CNBC
U.S. mortgage rates jumped to a 16-year high of 6.75%, marking the seventh-straight weekly increase and spurring the worst slump in home loan applications since the depths of the pandemic. — Bloomberg
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer maintain a list of COVID-19 travel advisories for foreign countries, another sign of the gradual shift toward pre-pandemic normalcy. The agency said it would instead issue travel health notices only for “a concerning COVID-19 variant” or other situation that would change travel recommendations for a particular country, as it does with other diseases like monkeypox, polio, and yellow fever.
In April, the CDC dropped a “do not travel” warning that it had in place for about 90 countries and other destinations because of the COVID-19 risk there, saying it would reserve that label for “special circumstances.”
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