ASIA TALENT MOBILITY ALLIANCE WELCOMES GRAEBEL COMPANIES, A LEADING GLOBAL RELOCATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY, AS A FOUNDATION PARTNER

Foundation Partners play a fundamental role in the development of Talent Mobility in Asia and the formation of ATMA's supportive programs and services for the industry across the region

Hong Kong, October 11, 2022 - Asia Talent Mobility Alliance (ATMA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the innovation and development of the talent mobility industry of Asia, today announced that Graebel Companies, has been named an ATMA Foundation Partner. Graebel is a leading provider of global talent and workplace mobility solutions for some of the world’s most recognizable brands and their employees in 165 countries.

Foundation Partners provide substantial financial, talent and knowledge resources to help fulfil the vision and mission of ATMA. Unlike a typical sponsorship, becoming a Foundation Partner involves a deep partnership and leadership role in developing ATMA and helping the alliance reach its goals.  Invitations were extended to companies with a demonstrated dedication to the professionalism and advancement of the talent mobility industry in Asia. 

"As cooperation and trade grow through agreements like RCEP and ASEAN and as companies headquartered in Asia expand regionally and globally, we believe the time is right for an association built in Asia for the Asian talent mobility community, one that is wholly focused on advancing that community," stated Sean Collins, interim Board Chair. "ATMA relies on the support and active participation of member patrons and sponsors. As the only relocation management company serving as a Foundation Partner, we look forward to Graebel’s leadership in helping us to foster a dynamic, thriving talent mobility community in Asia."

“Asia represents 39 percent of global GDP and is home to several of the world’s fastest growing economies – a diverse, dynamic region where Graebel has supported mobility clients and their employees for many years,” said Akhbar Hameed, GMS-T, Graebel’s Singapore-based Asia-Pacific managing director. “By becoming an ATMA Foundation Partner, we can help create exceptional experiences for companies served by the industry, their mobile employees, the value chain of suppliers and partners, and the talented mobility professionals who call Asia home.”

About:

Asia Talent Mobility Alliance (ATMA) is dedicated to empowering the talent mobility industry in Asia. It is the first not-for-profit mobility organization developed in Asia specifically for Asian and Asian headquartered companies. Members include HR, Talent Acquisition, and Global Mobility teams, as well as those in related fields that provide the support and structure to position employees wherever needed. ATMA advances its mission through services and programs that support members' communication, education, community, and advocacy.

For more information, please visit: https://asiatma.com

Media Contact: Sharon Michnay, Relo Network Asia, +1.312.521.0871 sharon.michnay@relonetworkasia.com.

Graebel Companies, Inc. is a leading provider of global talent and workplace mobility solutions for some of the most recognizable brands in the world and their employees in 165 countries. Since its founding in 1950, Graebel has innovated and grown to deliver excellent relocation service and results for clients, all while remaining family-owned and focused on people-first mobility. With custom technology solutions, Graebel develops and implements mobility strategies that help companies attract and retain talent; respond faster to global market trends; maximize return on mobility programs; and create exceptional experiences that make global talent mobility more humane and as seamless as possible. As a full-service relocation management company (RMC), Graebel addresses every part of the mobility lifecycle for employers and employees, including services for departure and move management, destination, settling-in and ongoing assignments. For more information, visit Graebel.com. Here’s to the world ahead®.

Media Contact: Paul Raab, Linhart PR, praab@linhartpr.com

As Asian countries look to attract new residents, complications arise from confusion over employers' impact.

Working from home during the pandemic developed from a way to get business done when going to the office wasn't an option into a lifestyle with various interpretations. Employees took a "work from home" and turned it into "work from anywhere." Anywhere, in this case, could be a different, larger home in the same city, a different city inside the same country, or anywhere in the world. Governments had been lenient over the highly-impacted years but started pulling back permissions and stopped looking the other way as borders began opening.

This article from the ASEAN Briefing highlights several new opportunities for individuals looking to work from home in another country. Starting 1 October, Malaysia will begin offering its De Rantau Digital Nomad visa; offering stays up to 12 months. Foreign professionals who want to work from Thailand and make at least US$80,000 can receive up to a 10-year visa for themselves and family. Indonesia is also considering a five-year digital nomad visa.

The article highlights the requirements for the employee, but identifying any employer requirements is more challenging. A thorough review of Malaysia's De Rantau website is heavy on the qualifications for the digital nomad visa but light on the obligations for both the employer and employee. 

Will recipients of digital nomad visas and other like-programs establish a tax presence for themselves or their employers? What is the impact on social, health and welfare programs in the home or host location? 

From the employer's perspective, should a Singapore salary based upon a high-cost location be paid on remote work completed in a lower-cost area such as Indonesia? The situation may be more straightforward for contract workers, although other questions remain relevant, including questions regarding data security of the network in the new location

Countries' invitations to employees to participate in these cross-border working arrangements seem to come faster than other stakeholders in the situation can react. Domestically, governmental tax and social security laws must be developed or clarified in conjunction with new types of nomad visas. As a result, employers may be hesitant to knowingly engage in the program without it, putting a dent in what otherwise could be a mutually positive situation. In the interim, Human Resources and Talent Mobility teams need to investigate their company's appetite for risk vs. reward in this area. 

Recent months have been challenging enough with the present work-from-home culture. Without clear rules regarding how to be locally compliant with cross-border remote work, companies will need to implement internal policies that reflect their capabilities as employers and promote those to their employees.

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.

Thanks to those of you who joined us for the inaugural Asia Talent Mobility Alliance webinar.  We are especially grateful for the time and talents of our esteemed panel of presenters: Janet Chiang, Ella Ong, Lee Quane and Avrom Goldberg.

A Few Highlights  

• Digital Nomad Visas:  The GOOD: They make an attractive offer for individuals to work remotely from Bali for up to 5 years without tax issues.  The BAD: There is not mention yet of what taxation corporations may yet face if an employees takes part. 
• Post-Covid Benefits:  Pandemic darling virtual assignments saw an increase over the past few years.  Recent ECA study reports that virtual assignements were seen more as a contingency measure and in the coming years will fall out of use in favor of all other types of long and short-term assignments.
• Cost of Living:  There are challenges to how companies manage benefit policies.  Some are based upon information now outdated due to local supply/demand issues and inflation, others because the local market has changed (re: Singapore now requires tenants to pay broker fees) or assignee needs have changed with invent of the hybrid working and home office requirements.  But also, there can be an assignee perception of change that doesn't warrant a policy adjustment or enhancement. 
• China - Assignments are shifting to other locations in Asia due to continued Zero-Covid policies.  China will not lose importance, but companies will change how they allocate roles in the country.  Shanghai and Hong Kong may join with Sri Lanka as hardship-locations where it is difficult to attract talent.
• Talent - protecting employee purchasing power and the employee experience are top of mind for relocation benefit packages in the coming year.

Work is already underway for our September webinar, and of course the official launch of the Asia Talent Mobility Alliance.  

Ella Onn

Senior Mobility Manager APAC

BASF

Ella will join will join speakers Janet Chiang and Lee Quane with moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Ella embarked on the Relocation & Global Mobility industry career journey over 15 years ago, overseeing the Asia Pacific region. A Malaysian national, she was based in China throughout her career which covers both the service delivery side, and in recent years, as in-house. She repatriated back to Malaysia in 2021 and continues building her expertise in the world of Global Mobility, and striving on providing the highest level of service possible.

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

Lee Quane

Regional Director - Asia

ECA International

Lee will join speaker Janet Chiang and moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Lee has been based at ECA International’s Asia operations since 2003 and has been Regional Director since 2009.

Lee works with major organisations in the Asia-Pacific region, providing advice and support in the field of Compensation and Benefits and International Assignment Management, thereby ensuring that ECA’s clients can respond effectively to challenges they face in a rapidly changing globalised business environment. Lee has led multiple projects assisting companies who have either just set up their international assignment operations or established organisations looking to update and ensure that their policies remain competitive.

Since taking over ECA’s Asia operations, Lee has been heavily involved in the establishment of ECA as one of the most authoritative HR data and solutions providers in the region. Lee has spoken at several international HR seminars and contributes to industry publications in the region regularly.

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

 

Janet Chiang

Program Manager, Talent Mobility APAC

Netflix

Janet Chiang will join moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Janet has extensive years of Talent Mobility experience in the Asia Pacific region.  Her career covers roles in professional services and in-house in the Manufacturing and Entertainment industries.  She has great passion in driving excellence in users' experience.  

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

Asia Talent Mobility Alliance (ATMA) is hosting the first in a series of webinars focused on information-sharing and collaboration.

The first webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar will be moderated by launch committee member, Avrom Goldberg of Weichert Workforce Mobility. 

Avrom will guide our panel's conversation as they discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.