A conversation with the Permits Foundation – Making a shift to enable Global Talent via the movement of Dual Career Families

Introduction

During the Permits Foundation’s 2024 Conference, we explored how organisations, governments and society better adapt to deliver the needs of globally mobile talent with dual careers and families.

The decision to focus on this topic was the direct result of changes in the following:

• The indisputable global talent shortage requiring scarce and critical skills to be tapped into and moved across borders, as evidenced in the AI and Green Skills sectors.
• The rise in dual career families. According to a Forbes 2020 study, 78% of millennial families have dual careers when compared with 47% of Baby Boomers¹. So, moving talent across borders now requires greater consideration of the partners’ careers, too.
• A greater diversity in the global talent pool, across gender, race, generation, and family arrangements.
• An inherently complex geo-political climate and evolving immigration regulations, which results in significant pre-move considerations for relocating families.

Dual careers and family considerations

Completing an international relocation is a significant undertaking for any individual, but especially those with a family. There are several reasons why an individual may choose not to relocate, however it is increasingly important that internationally mobile talent can be accompanied by their family – 54% of talent refused to move due to their inability to bring their families and partners and this is the top reason for refusals². Whether the partner has assurance pre-move that they have the right to work in the host country is a key element contributing to that decision.

Families who are able to move abroad and overcome the initial disruption, often continue to grapple with impacts on their career and family dynamics. 53% of partners, who originally intended to find paid employment deviate from their plans once they move, due to the ongoing fear of negative career impacts³. While certain Millennials and Gen-Zs see a greater opportunity in pursuing nomadic careers and may have fewer limitations to relocation impacting their partners’ careers, the reality is that 90% of accompanying partners were employed before the start of the assignment but only 53% are employed⁴ following their move. This can often be due to barriers to employment opportunities such as language proficiency, ability to work, skills requirements, or recognition of qualifications.

One of the most significant obstacles is work authorisation⁵. In Permits Foundation’s latest survey, 26% of partner respondents were considering leaving their host country due to work access restrictions and 44% of organisations reported employees returning home early from an international assignment due to concerns about the partner’s employment⁶.

For many, a dual income is a necessity, particularly in high-cost destinations. 67% of partners cited the need for dual income as important or very important⁷.

Data from Expat Valley shows that despite 36% of Talent wanting greater support for family integration⁸, this remains an area of significant under-investment. This lack of investment has one direct consequence: up to 25% of failed assignment cases are due to family reasons⁹. The cost of ignored dual careers and associated obstacles is high, with assignment failures leading to losses estimated between $850,000 and $1.25mn per failed assignment¹⁰. This huge number, however, doesn't seem to bring about significant changes to policies that remain biased towards single ‘breadwinner’ models and male demographics. The case for change is clearer than ever, with more women-led assignments than ever before – research by Expat Valley indicated that 22% of organisations cited that more than 50% of international assignments were now female-led¹¹. However, little has been done to embrace this change with revised policy offerings, and against this backdrop traditional policies developed to move a more traditional workforce, with a dependent or ‘trailing’ family, are no longer fit for purpose.

This lack of investment means that policies and the provisions offered are not typically designed to comprehensively support whole families relocating, however sentiment across the market suggests that this is no-longer simply a “nice to have,” rather, it is becoming a strategic imperative to be perceived as a responsible employer.

There is growing recognition among employers (61%) that dual career and partner issues are becoming more important¹². Some organisations are choosing to engage more proactively with families, for example, providing data showing country work authorisation permissions and where same-sex or non-married partners are recognised dependants. This helps to manage expectations. As well as providing support individually, some employers are also working collectively via Permits Foundation to recommend facilitated partner work authorisation.

Adapting to changes in legislative changes and societal expectations

Whilst there is no direct legislation focusing on dual careers and accompanying families, there are upcoming ESG changes which have a correlation. As an example, Net Zero 2030 objectives require employers to acknowledge they are increasingly responsible for a more diverse workforce and their families, especially when asking them to move overseas. The expectations will become more apparent with the introduction of new legislation that will continue to make global moves more complex and therefore provide employers with additional challenges, but the fundamental requirement to invest in their people and their families is likely here to stay.

Two of the most pertinent legislative focus areas are the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Union Pay Transparency Directive (EU PTD).

CSRD is EU legislation that will also apply to non-EU companies and will be phased in over the next few years. From a talent perspective, organisations will need to ensure they have robust inclusive talent attraction and retention protocols in place, as this will form part of any double materiality assessment conducted within CSRD. Notably, assessments look beyond secure employment and adequate wages, focussing on increased attrition, diversity, working conditions of employees and workforce demographics.

EU PTD is a universal mandate across EU member states to address pay transparency and pay gap reporting, which is coming into force in June 2026. This will create a series of complexities domestically but may also prove a significant challenge with organisations seeking to determine how expatriates on complex compensation packages fit within these reporting requirements. The Directive will also bring a new requirement to ensure that assignee compensation packages are equitable, as well as highlighting the need to address how organisations can most effectively support accompanying partners. It is important to note, this is not just an EU consideration. Similar pay transparency regulations are gaining momentum across the globe, from the UK, US, Canada and Brazil to Australia and Japan. The Labour government in the UK is seeking a suite of changes to worker’s rights (notably employer diversity and disability reporting), and so the increased focus on the need to support diverse needs and the employees’ family, in addition to the employee, will likely be here to stay.

In practice, organisations are having to continue to consider Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within several aspects of an employee’s lifecycle, with the requirements outlined within these key legislative shifts presenting an opportunity to be a springboard for more wide-reaching change.

What can be done and where to start?

The need for change is increasingly apparent, especially given there is evidence that organisations are recognising the imperative to act through an increased number of examples of non-financial support measures provided to expatriates and their families. These include tangible examples, such as:

• Networks to support with family integration in new locations.
• Career training in their chosen field for accompanying partners.
• Individualising the support provided – focusing on the family’s key drivers, reasons for working, and restrictions/opportunities.
• Re-visiting language and cultural training offerings to support with integration.

Each of the above can provide a meaningful impact, however there are two salient points that organisations should consider and continue to adapt to:

1. Timing is everything. Pre-move conversations are important. Experience also demonstrates that an impactful moment of support for accompanying partners can come 3-6 months following the move. Often support is provided right after the move has taken place, which is when the partner is focusing on enabling their partner and the wider family unit to make a success of their new life, in their new home.
2. The historic definition of a ‘family’ is no longer reflective of employees’ home lives. Family dynamics have evolved in light of dual career families and reflect societal shifts from more traditional models. It is critical that employers’ offerings and support to mobile employees and their families do the same.

Conclusion

Organisations walk a tightrope between responding to market trends, legislation, and societal expectations, whilst also delivering in line with contemporary employee’s expectations. Both legislative changes and societal expectations are driving organisations to provide a supportive environment for a workforce that is more reflective of wider society. Simultaneously, the war for talent is creating employee-driven demand for organisations to provide compelling offerings to their employees and their families (at home and overseas). When the only constant is change, how will your organisation respond?

Reference materials:

1. Millennial Working Parents: You Are Poised To Fight For Gender Equality (forbes.com)
2. Dream destinations and mobility trends, 2024
3. Global Connection – Expat Partner Support, Survey on paid employment – 2019 results
4. Permits Foundation – 2022 Partner Survey Report
5. Permits Foundation – 2022 Partner Survey Report
6. Permits Foundation – HR Survey Report
7. Permits Foundation – 2022 Partner Survey Report
8. Expat Valley – Global Family Relocation Experience Research
9. Expat Valley – Global Family Relocation Experience Research
10. Americas | Duty of Care: The Cost of a Failed Assignment (internationalsos.com)
11. Expat Valley – Global Family Relocation Experience Research
12. Permits Foundation – HR Survey Report

Note:

Expat Valley is a social enterprise, and that we believe that international relocation should be an enriching experience that allows children and their families to thrive. As a global expert in Successful Family Relocation Experiences, we are committed to supporting the needs and wellbeing of internationally mobile children, their parents, and other stakeholders invested in successful international relocation such as global workforce employers, international educators and schools, and relocation industry service providers.

Permits Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit corporate initiative, campaigning globally to improve work permit regulations so that partners of highly-skilled international employees may directly access employment while in the host country. Permits Foundation advocacy utilises data driven arguments to influence change by demonstrating that this type of direct work access creates a ‘triple win’ for host countries, employers and families alike.