Are you thinking about relocating for a job? It isn’t always easy, and you might assume you’ll have to pay for your own relocation expenses. In fact, many companies will assist new employees with relocation packages. If you’re flexible and do your research, it’s possible to tap into job markets outside of your area.
Atlas Van Lines’ 45th Annual Corporate Relocation Survey provides useful data that job seekers should consider regarding relocation. For example:
- Sixty-five percent of firms surveyed offer relocated employees full reimbursement.
- More than 25 percent of firm respondents expect international relocation volumes to increase this year and 55 percent expect levels to remain similar to 2011. Internationally, Asia ranks as the most-frequent relocation destination (at 41 percent).
- Eighty-seven percent of firms have a formal relocation policy.
- More than half (52 percent) of all relocations last year were new hires.
- Employees age 36 to 40 remained the most frequently relocated salaried employees, and the majority of relocated salaried employees are male. Female employees account for only 20 percent of relocated salaried employees on average.
- Seventy-two percent of firm respondents give employees two weeks or less to accept an offer to relocate.
- More than 50 percent of companies reimburse or pay to pack all items, move an automobile, move exercise equipment, move a second automobile, and unpack all items.
- For homeowners, more than half of firms offer the following to transferees or new hires: temporary housing allowance, home-finding trips, storage, reimburse or pay for home sale costs, reimbursement or pay for home purchase costs, and home marketing assistance.
- For renters, more than half of firms offer the following to transferees or new hires: temporary housing allowance, reimbursement or pay for lease cancellation, home-finding trips, and storage.
Are you thinking you may want to jump on the bandwagon (or the moving van)? I spoke to EDC Moving Systems Relocation Consultant and Atlas Van Lines Affiliate Andrew Bridges at last month’s Society for Human Resource Management National Conference…
Read the rest on my U.S. News & World Report column
