Global mobility
is the discipline of moving people across borders for work: expatriate assignments, permanent transfers, commuters, business travel and, increasingly, employee-driven remote work. It sits at the junction of immigration, tax, social security, payroll and employment law.
The five moves a mobility policy must cover
- Long-term assignments: home employment kept, host work for 1–5 years — tax equalisation and shadow payroll territory.
- Permanent transfers: employment moves to the host country, often via local entity or EOR.
- Short-term and project moves: posting rules, A1 certificates and the 183-day arithmetic.
- Business travel: the volume risk — permits, Schengen limits and PE exposure from frequent trips.
- Remote-work requests: the newest lane; policy defines allowed countries, durations and approval flow.
FAQ
What does a global mobility function actually do?
It turns individual moves into managed cases: choosing the right structure per move, coordinating visas, payroll and tax providers, costing packages, and tracking compliance calendars. In smaller companies the function is often outsourced case-by-case rather than staffed.
What is the biggest mobility risk in 2026?
Untracked movement: employees relocating or travelling extensively without triggering any process. Immigration, tax residency and permanent-establishment problems all start as invisible calendar facts — the control is knowing where people actually are.