As employers experienced improvements in relocation volumes, budgets and overall performances in 2011, 67 percent of relocation managers say they expect their companies to perform better in 2012, according to a recent relocation survey by Atlas Van Lines.
"For more than four decades, our relocation research has shed light on corporate America and the economy's effect on relocation," says Jack Griffin, president and chief operating officer of Atlas World Group. "The majority of companies answering the 2012 survey expect volumes and budgets to remain static with most remaining respondents expecting increases. Results are encouraging for Atlas Van Lines and our agent moving companies throughout the nation."
The survey also shows that 44 percent of respondents anticipate an improved US economy this year, and 26 percent of respondents expect to relocate more employees than last year. For 2012, 86 percent of respondents intend to spend at least as much on relocation as they did in 2011. Another 65 percent of respondents are providing relocated employees with full reimbursement, which is much more than lump sums or partial reimbursement.
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The top regions for transfers include the Northeast at 42 percent and the Midwest at 37 percent, followed by the South at 31 percent and the West at 26 percent while more than one-fourth of respondents believe international relocation numbers will grow this year. Fifty-five percent of respondents expect these figures to remain comparable to 2011. Asia comes in as the most frequent relocation destination at 41 percent, and Western Europe at 35 percent.
Among the respondents reluctant to relocate, 71 percent indicated housing and mortgage concerns, 64 percent said family issues, and 42 percent cite personal reasons. Another 24 percent of respondents report that turning down a relocation offer typically hinders an individual's career.
According to the survey, 86 percent of respondents uphold a formal relocation policy, and 52 percent of all relocations in 2011 were among new hires. In 2011, employees age 36-40 continued to be the most commonly relocated salaried employee at 36 percent. Men are most often the relocated salaried employee as women only make up 20 percent of relocations on average.
Another 46 percent of relocations involved employees with children while 56 percent of those relocated were homeowners. Seventy-two percent of respondents offer their employees a maximum of two weeks to accept a relocation offer. Regarding moving costs, 82 percent of respondents pay to pack all items, 80 percent of respondents pay to move an automobile, and 49 percent of respondents pay for all unpacking. Thirty-three percent of respondents are open to reimbursement for permanent or extended storage of some possessions.
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