Global Talent Mobility: What APAC Employers Need to Know

Executive Introduction

As mobility rebounds across Asia Pacific, Senior HR, Mobility and Total Rewards leaders are facing a moment of strategic opportunity. Medical inflation may be stabilising, but global assignment costs, compliance risks, and rising employee expectations continue to demand sharper decision-making.

Drawing on findings from Aon’s 2025 International People Mobility Report, this article explores how leading employers are balancing cost containment with value creation — using data, local insight, and innovation to shape a new era of global workforce mobility.

Reframing Mobility in a New Era

Global mobility has re-emerged as a defining feature of corporate life. The 2025 Aon International People Mobility Report highlights a strong rebound in international assignments, business travel, and global collaboration. For HR leaders across Asia Pacific, this resurgence represents both a growth catalyst and a renewed test of cost discipline.

As Alan Oates, Head of Global Benefits for Aon APAC, explains: “Even with all the technology we have today, mobility remains the most powerful enabler of knowledge and leadership transfer — it’s how future global leaders are built.”

The momentum is promising, but complexity remains high. Medical inflation, compliance costs, and talent expectations continue to shape strategic decisions. Encouragingly, Aon’s 2026 Global Medical Trend Rates Report shows healthcare inflation stabilising across APAC — giving employers a rare window to rethink their global mobility structures for sustainability and value creation.

As Aon data indicates, cost management is no longer just financial hygiene — it’s strategic foresight. The most effective companies are connecting cost control with workforce wellbeing and resilience, converting mobility from a line expense into a strategic advantage.

Key Takeaways

Asia Pacific leads global mobility. The region now hosts the highest share of international assignees, making mobility strategy a core business advantage.
Cost containment is top priority. Stabilising medical inflation opens a window to adopt smarter cost management — through analytics, local tendering, and insurer partnerships.
Health and wellbeing drive retention. International health cover remains the most valued benefit, with employers investing in prevention and wellbeing to improve productivity outcomes.
Compliance and inclusion shape programs. Mobility design now integrates fair, transparent and sustainable policies aligned with DEI and regulatory expectations.

1. Asia Leads the Next Mobility Wave — With Cost Management Imperatives

Asia is the #1 global destination for international assignments¹, fuelled by economic resilience and regional interconnectivity. For multinational employers, the region is both a growth frontier and a proving ground for global leadership pipelines - many in critical leadership or technical roles.

Asia Pacific is also unique in that “Healthy and Productive at Work” ranks among the region’s top five mobility priorities² . The best employers are now viewing health spend through a value lens — investing in preventive care, wellbeing, and network optimisation to improve utilisation and retention.

With healthcare inflation stabilising, organisations across APAC are catching this wave by deploying analytics to renegotiate pricing, rebalance risk, and strengthen value through preventive health and wellbeing programs. The mindset shift is clear: move from reactive controls to a proactive model of analytics-led health and benefit design for sustainable programme management.

Effective cost containment in mobility now mirrors the best practices of domestic benefits strategies:

Analyse policy-specific claim trends to uncover opportunities where your cost curve is already falling ahead of the market.
Leverage local market tendering to drive competition and negotiate stronger pricing and service terms.
Partner with insurers to reduce losses from fraud, waste, and abuse while protecting legitimate claims.
Reinvest savings into employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives that yield long-term utilisation stability.

The message is clear: cost containment isn’t about cutting — it’s about creating smarter, more sustainable protection for globally mobile people.

2. Comprehensive International Health Insurance: The Cornerstone of Mobility

The 2025 IPM Report reinforces one message above all: international health insurance is the most valued benefit among globally mobile employees — and for good reason.

Across APAC, healthcare systems vary widely in accessibility and quality. Organisations offering regionally consistent, portable coverage eliminate uncertainty and boost employee confidence, and those who communicate the value of these benefits, or how to make the most of them, to employees will achieve their focus of creating a positive Employee Value Proposition.

In practice, many leading employers now also complement global medical plans with targeted wellbeing and preventive-care initiatives that are effectively communicated to employees to maximise engagement.

As Michael Raimbach, Regional Director, International People Solutions of Aon Asia Pacific emphasises, "for employers, ensuring health coverage is designed and communicated effectively is critical. With cost pressures beginning to stabilise across the region, this is an opportunity to help employees better understand and appreciate the value of their benefits. By marketing benefits not just communicating them organisations can improve utilisation, engagement and long-term wellbeing outcomes.”

3. Personalised, Purpose-Driven Mobility Strategies

The mobility model is evolving rapidly — from one-size-fits-all to employee-centred design.

Employers are tailoring packages based on family structure, wellbeing priorities, and assignment duration, while ensuring fairness and global consistency. Aon’s research shows that mobility leaders are integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) principles into policy frameworks, ensuring equitable treatment and reinforcing employer reputation.

This personalised approach converts mobility into a leadership and culture platform. It encourages talent mobility as a growth opportunity — not a disruption — and strengthens loyalty among international assignees.

4. Technology-Enabled Mobility and Smarter Cost Visibility

Digital innovation is reshaping the global mobility experience. From telemedicine and virtual care to risk dashboards and predictive modelling, technology now underpins the next frontier of cost and safety management.

Digital tools don’t just offer visibility; they enable predictive decision-making. Working with their insurers for external data, employers can identify risk earlier, intervene faster, and optimise resource allocation — protecting both their people and budgets.

5. Turning Insight into Action

Employers blending analytics, people insights, and health strategy are redefining what effective mobility looks like.

To turn IPM insights into measurable outcomes, employers should:

Analyse internal data against market trends to find negotiation leverage and efficiency opportunities.
Use competitive local tenders to enhance pricing and service innovation.
Collaborate with insurers on high-cost claim analysis to mitigate fraud and unnecessary spend.
Invest in prevention — build business cases for wellbeing and preventive programs to secure consistent savings.
Enhance communication and transparency — position benefits as a purposeful investment, not an entitlement.

The result: international mobility programs that deliver resilience, equity, and analytic control.

Aon partners with leading organisations across APAC to design future-ready mobility strategies — compliant, cost-efficient, and employee-focused. By combining analytics, negotiation strategy, and deep market expertise, Aon empowers HR leaders to make better, faster decisions for globally mobile workforces.

Read the full 2025 Aon International People Mobility Report and 2026 Global Medical Trend Rates Report to explore these findings and learn how Aon helps organisations turn mobility into a platform for sustained workforce and financial performance.

^[1] 2025 IPM Report
^[2] 2025 IPM Report

Aon’s 2025 Global Benefits Trends Study shows that 70% of multinationals now list cost containment as their top priority, up sharply from the previous year. For HR and mobility leaders, that means every benefit dollar must deliver measurable ROI.