According to Mercer, the trend has almost doubled as part of a continuing move towards globalisation.
Almost half (47%) of companies said they have increased the deployment of expatriates on one to five-year assignments and 38% reported an increase in staff who move across multiple countries on assignments.
Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) employers think employee benefits for expats are a medium or high business priority, but only 26% have a policy for expat benefits and 64% have no procedures in place to measure the success of their international benefit policies.
Robert Lockley, principal in Mercer's international business, said: "Establishing an international policy is essential to stay competitive, maintain geographical consistency and control costs. Even against a backdrop of economic uncertainty there is still competition for the best talent. Companies that are lax in this area will lose out."
Expat assignments double
The number of employees on expatriate assignments has increased by 90% over the past three years.
