Cross-border workforce mobility is becoming a powerful weapon in the fight for talent as global businesses look to the next generation.

As employers compete for scarce skills and respond to market and geopolitical volatility, the EY 2026 Mobility Reimagined Survey found that trust in mobility functions and cross-border talent programs help maintain operational speed and improve business outcomes. Four in five employees (80%) surveyed say their most recent assignment abroad made them more likely to stay with their employer, up 32 points from 2025.

It added: “Employee expectations are also rising. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of survey respondents say flexibility in mobility policies matters, up from 70% last year, with Gen Z almost twice as likely as other generations to rate flexibility as ‘extremely important’.”

In one of the largest surveys of its kind, global mobility professionals identified key traits of trusted mobility functions, ranging from strategic integration to operational excellence.

Over a third of employers (34%) surveyed say mobility helps build employee trust in their organization’s talent strategy.

Yet only 19% of mobility functions qualify as “high trust” in the survey, and those teams can move talent to new markets more than twice as fast. That speed matters as tax and immigration rules for cross-border work keep shifting. More than half of employers (51%) surveyed say they have walked away from a business opportunity in the last two years because of immigration issues.

At the same time, organizations are increasingly using mobility programs to build future leaders and long‑term talent pipelines. Workforce planning and long-term talent development is now the top priority for mobility functions, with 26% of employers surveyed citing mobility as a key driver of attraction and retention, while 24% use it to deploy skills across markets where they are most needed.

Maureen Flood, partner, People Advisory Services Tax, Ernst & Young LLP, says: “Mobility can no longer be a standalone operations function within an organization. The EY Mobility Reimagined Survey shows that trust sits at the heart of successful mobility programs and multinational talent strategies.

“As organisations compete for talent and address AI‑driven skills gaps, global mobility is becoming a strategic priority. When employees trust the systems, processes and support behind their cross-border assignments, organisations can deploy talent faster, respond more effectively to market changes and unlock the full value of their global workforce.”

EY added, despite its growing strategic importance, global mobility remains complex. Managing cross-border workforce mobility increasingly requires navigating immigration regulations, compliance requirements, vendor relationships and internal processes, often at a speed dictated by global business demands.

The survey showed that almost all (95%) mobility functions face barriers to improving the speed of their processes, while 62% of mobility teams’ time is still spent on reactive, ad-hoc requests rather than focusing on strategic activities.

To overcome these pressures, organisations are turning to automation, data platforms and AI to reshape how mobility teams handle compliance, cost management and employee support across borders.

Three-quarters (75%) of employers surveyed plan to increase investment in mobility technology, up from 66% last year, while 72% are scaling generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI to transform processes or overall operations, even as 97% expect cost reductions in the next 12 months.

Gerard Osei-Bonsu, EY global people advisory services tax leader, concluded: “AI is transforming how organizations manage global mobility. As mobility programs grow in scale and complexity, accurate and reliable data platforms will be critical to simplify processes, strengthen compliance and deliver a more seamless experience for multinational organizations’ employees.”

19% of mobility functions qualify as “high trust” in the survey, and those teams can move talent to new markets more than twice as fast. That speed matters as tax and immigration rules for cross-border work keep shifting. More than half of employers (51%) surveyed say they have walked away from a business opportunity in the last two years because of immigration issues.