Interdean Relocation Services has been tracking current trends in global mobility in the Netherlands region to determine the way in which the industry will be shaping up in future.

 We will also be referring to data which has been collected from The 2011 Global Mobility Survey, the biggest of its kind ever commissioned in the relocation industry.

 Interdean pioneered an electronic interactive version of the successful survey, enabling companies to benchmark their organisations' Mobility Programmes with over 1,000 others. The interactive survey enables HR and Global Mobility Professionals to pinpoint those areas in which they are interested, and view comparable results for these sections.

Geographic Locations

 At Interdean Netherlands, we are seeing an increase in relocation services to countries such as; Brazil, China, Singapore, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. Much of our inbound relocations are coming from the USA and Asia. Brazil and China seem to be a popular destination thanks to their growing economies and Singapore due to being seen as the traditional hub into Asia. Germany is also a popular destination since it is Holland's main trading partner in Europe. The reason for high volumes of relocations to Switzerland is due to the fact that many global corporations are opening their European or Global headquarters in Geneva or Zurich. In addition, Australia is one of the main emigration countries for the Dutch.

 On a global platform, China is the top location of interest for multinational organisations currently and the USA remains the priority country of origin. China is currently a great source of discussion for Interdean's clients and holds significant interest for Western European-based multinationals.

Assignment Types

 The most popular assignment type in the Netherlands tends to be long-term assignments, where an assignee is engaged in an international post for three to five years. In this period of financial and economic crisis, it is mainly senior management with niche expertise who relocate. Assignments which are for the sole purpose of employees gaining international experience for one or two years are tending to be postponed due to cost savings initiatives.

The trend in the Netherlands for longer-term assignments is conducive to the results we have seen in our survey which showed that the large majority of international assignments which are happening on a global basis are those which are long-term.

Industry Trends

 In the Netherlands, we have seen an increased amount of activity for inbound and outbound relocations in the following industries; Energy, Food, Science, Research & Development, Consultancy and Advertising.   Research & Development and Science-related industries are areas of growth due to the fact that these types of companies are specifically looking at all kinds of opportunities to create more efficiency in their processes and ways of contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment. There has been a decline in global mobility in these industries; Finance, Mining, Publishing and Automotive.

 Despite the fact that the world has recently been experiencing financial crisis, Interdean in the Netherlands has actually seen a slight growth in international assignments compared with 2010. This has also been the case on a worldwide basis according to the results of The Global Mobility Survey, where 87% of the companies that took part stated that there had either been a significant or slight increase in their relocation activities in comparison with the previous year.

Popular Services

This year, the most popular services that we deliver to multinational organisations for their assignees relocating from the Netherlands to other destinations are; visa & immigration, home search, settling-in assistance and moving services.

 For inbound relocations to the Netherlands, employers have been requesting visa & immigration services, pre assignment tour, home search, settling in, and moving services.

 The pattern of relocation services that we are seeing in the Netherlands mirrors the results of our Global Mobility Survey of over 1,000 respondents which stated that immigration, visas and work permits were the most popular services included as part of an international assignment package across the Total Sample Population. 

 Whilst the services listed above are a must to relocate an employee, services as language and cultural training are perceived to be secondary in terms of importance.

 Interdean in the Netherlands is increasingly required to offer consultancy services to its international clients. This is because they are looking to grow their business across the globe and require local assistance from their global consultancy suppliers who use this opportunity to expand their business internationally into the BRIC countries.

Point of Discussion: Tax

 You might be interested to know that there has been a change in tax in the Netherlands which is of a great benefit to expatriates, allowing them to earn up to 30% of their compensation tax free. In addition, the new ruling also allows expats to apply for partial non-residency status. This means that these international employees will be exempt from Dutch taxation on their investments. Another plus for expatriates is that they can exchange their foreign driving license for a Dutch one without having to undergo any time-consuming tests.

Get involved in the Global Mobility Survey 2012

 The next Global Mobility Survey commissioned by the Santa Fe Group, is due to be released in December 2011. Register your interest at www.globalmobilitysurvey.com today!

About Interdean Relocation Services

 Whether looking to expand into new territories or leverage your human capital in core international markets, Interdean has the relocation service to support the needs of your business and relocating employees.

 Interdean provides the full range of relocation services to support businesses with international interests from a diverse range of industry sectors.  As part of the Santa Fe Group, Interdean has 120 offices in 50 locations across the world and employs 3,150 dedicated professionals.

We make it easy.

Author: Jan Koets, Sales Manager, Interdean Netherlands