Dive Brief:

• Employers that provide globally mobile employment opportunities have an edge in the competition for talent and in markets with low unemployment, according to a new MetLife study. The 17th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study found that employees working abroad are more engaged than those who haven't taken an overseas assignment or who don't have the opportunity to work in a foreign nation.
• The report revealed globally mobile employees think more positively about their employers.

• The report showed that younger workers, in particular, are open to working abroad, with 65% of Gen Z interested in having the chance to work overseas or accept assignments abroad.

Dive Insight:

Companies looking to expand into faraway markets by transferring employees abroad will face challenges, experts previously told HR Dive. Organizations will need to decide which employees can move abroad and balance the cost of their relocation with the benefits the move produces. But many business leaders see relocation as a strategic move — if an organization has exhausted the talent available in its location, it can look elsewhere, even in another country, to replenish its stock of workers. According to a study from Atlas Van Lines, the skills gap is the main driver of relocation.

Employers that intend to use relocation as a recruiting and retention tool will need to prepare workers for the differences in culture, language and procedure they'll likely encounter abroad. Experts say that the first step in preparing workers for employment overseas is to make sure they feel connected to their colleagues and the organization's values and culture. "Leaders need to make sure their overall employee integration strategy focuses on creating a positive work environment and an exceptional employee experience for all," Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist at Achievers, previously told HR Dive.