UAE. In the GCC region, where expatriates comprise the majority of the ‘white collar’ labour force, Mercer – the leading global HR consulting firm – says it has witnessed a rising demand for advice on managing employee mobility and related costs.

According to the company, the total cost of moving a senior execu¬tive and their family abroad for a multi-year commitment, including compensation, benefits and accommodation, can easily work out to be three times their base pay. 

“As the GCC region’s economic climate settles into a stage of recovery, companies are looking further into mobilising their workforce to support their growth plans and internal development objectives while still striving to control costs wherever possible,” said Mercer’s Middle East Business Leader, Zaid Kamhawi,

“This has presented HR and other senior managers with a difficult balancing act between managing human capital costs without losing their competitive advantage, particularly in emerging markets.” 

Mercer recently concluded a mobility training workshop in Dubai to address this topic – the first of its kind in the Middle East – which was attended by a number of global and regional companies.

“There are many ways to control employee costs; the workshop was designed to help HR professionals understand different mobility management approaches and improve efficiencies when preparing for the everyday challenges of international assignments,” continued Kamhawi.

“The topic of expatriate management is growing in importance, particularly as an increasing number of regional companies are progressively maturing and expanding their business across the Middle East. This has in turn created the need for effective methods of dealing with the complexities of managing mobile staff.”
 
To further support this global shift, Mercer has partnered with Equus Software, a leader in state-of-the-art technology solutions, to implement AssignmentProTM – an international assignment management software system that uses best-in-class technology to streamline expatriate administration.

“It is essential to stay current with innovative technologies, such as Assignment Pro, that offer clients the right solutions to overcome mobility challenges more efficiently,” concluded Kamhawi, “With the aid of these tools, both employers and employees will be able to benefit from easier transition during geographical reallocation.”

About Mercer:
Mercer is a global leader in human resource consulting, outsourcing and investment services. Mercer works with clients to solve their most complex benefit and human capital issues by designing, implementing and administering health, retirement and other benefit programs. Mercer’s investment services include investment consulting, implemented consulting and multi-manager investment management. Mercer’s 20,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries.

In the Middle East, Mercer has offices in Dubai and Riyadh. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., which lists its stock (ticker symbol: MMC) on the New York and Chicago stock exchanges.

For more information, visit www.me.mercer.com.

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