Talent (Im)Mobility: The Looming HR Challenge in Asia

A confluence of factors is culminating in a significant talent mobility challenge that will require concerted management attention and proactive strategies to address. Simply put, the future of global talent mobility is in question. For Asia in particular, three factors are quickly converging into a “perfect storm” for talent mobility:

1. COVID-19 travel barriers and their impact on global talent mobility.
2. Escalating geo-political tensions and their impact on cross-border talent flows and workplace morale.
3. Rising nationalism and protectionism and their impact on foreign talent acquisition. 

Insights for What’s Ahead

For multinational companies in Asia (MNCs), the confluence of factors cited above is likely to have seriously adverse effects on traditional Total Talent Mobility practices ^[1], and for a prolonged period. In anticipation of future challenges, organizations will need to redefine international talent mobility programs and design creative solutions to mitigate five future business risks: