Building resilience into the future of international assignments

For decades, international assignments have been a cornerstone of how organisations grow, share expertise and build global resilience. But in 2025, the world of work looks very different for businesses from even just a few years ago. 

 

Over the past eight years, AXA Global Healthcare has been tracking these changes in global mobility by listening to the experiences of international assignees and HR leaders across the world. Its latest research reveals how international assignments have not just rebounded since the pandemic but evolved entirely, shaped by new economic pressures and rising employee expectations.

 

AXA’s research shows that while long-term placements are still a firm feature for businesses, shorter, more agile assignments are steadily on the rise. At the same time, digital nomadism is gaining momentum, with three in four HR decision makers predicting this working model will increase over the next five years as flexibility, once seen as a perk, fast becomes a defining feature and expectation of global placements.

 

As the working landscape continues to change, the findings show that holistic support is now critical to the success of an international assignment. From preparation to repatriation, businesses must consider the entire lifecycle of a placement and adjust their benefit packages accordingly. Providing help with logistics and relocation, whether practical or financial, is no longer substantial for the majority of assignees, who are instead asking for more cultural integration and language learning support to make adjusting to their new lives easier. Family wellbeing, AXA found, is another key area of focus, especially as separation and associated stress can threaten the success of even the most well-designed mobility programmes.

 

“Successful, resilient global mobility strategies are centred around people – their health and happiness, their families and their ability to thrive wherever their role takes them,” says Karim Idilby, Chief Growth Officer at AXA Health International. “This means supporting them at every stage of their assignment journey, from preparing them well to helping them return home smoothly. When organisations get this right, they strengthen their ability to attract global talent, retain critical skills and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape.”

 

However, all this support comes at a cost. Since AXA Global Healthcare first conducted its research in 2017, the average investment needed to place an employee on assignment has increased by 58 per cent, adding new pressure on businesses to balance opportunity with financial sustainability and challenging them to focus their budgets on what matters most.

 

This is where AXA Global Healthcare’s new insights come in. Through the voice of HR decision-makers and international assignees worldwide, its new World of Work report explores the current landscape of global placements and what, in 2025, employers can do to set themselves up for success.

 

With overwhelming evidence that organisations have already adapted and strengthened their mobility strategies in response to a new working world, AXA highlights where the opportunities are now for businesses to build international assignments that are even more resilient, even more people-centred and even more prepared for what’s ahead.

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To read AXA Global Healthcare’s 2025 World of Work report, visit axaglobalhealthcare.com

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Lydia Greenhalgh, Senior Content Writer, AXA Global Healthcare