Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GLOMO (Global mobility of employees)
Période du rapport: 2020-01-01 au 2022-08-31
Promoting labour mobility across Europe is a central objective of the Europe 2020 Strategy aiming to tackle increasing labour and skills shortages across the European Union (EU). Increased cross-border labour mobility benefits European citizens, employers and the European economy. Considering increasing migration into and within the EU, global mobility and international careers are highly salient themes within the European labour market.
Despite an increasingly favourable legal framework for mobility in the EU, international employees still face numerous problems and obstacles hindering international careers by hampering cross-border labour mobility. Examples are the limited transferability of career capital between countries resulting in underemployment, career setbacks while abroad and on return, hostility towards foreigners, or problems of employers in retaining their expatriate employees. While many valid policy recommendations have been formulated for the national and EU levels, more detailed, academically rigorous studies of global labour mobility on the societal, organisational, and individual levels are needed, including studies of the complex interactions between these levels.
The H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action “Global Mobility of Employees” aims for a more complete picture on global mobility of third-country nationals into the EU and within the EU, with a focus on its impact on international careers. Joint research and training was conducted within an interdisciplinary and intersectional network of scholars and practitioners: Seven of the most experienced academic experts on career mobility at institutions from across Europe worked together to promote research about global mobility and train 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) as the next generation of experts in the field, while developing a unique network of experts in the academic and the corporate sector to help make labour mobility more efficient and beneficial for all parties involved. For 15 ESRs, GLOMO provided an international network with unique training opportunities that allowed them to produce unexplored knowledge by going beyond the state-of-the-art in international career research.
More specifically, the objectives of GLOMO are:
a. develop a systematic approach to generating knowledge about the mobility phenomenon and its implications on international careers;
b. promote researchers, who will work on the topic;
c. provide training to develop researchers capable of understanding the complex influences on international careers; and
d. suggest relevant implications for action for the European societies and economies.
Despite an increasingly favourable legal framework for mobility in the EU, international employees still face numerous problems and obstacles hindering international careers by hampering cross-border labour mobility. Examples are the limited transferability of career capital between countries resulting in underemployment, career setbacks while abroad and on return, hostility towards foreigners, or problems of employers in retaining their expatriate employees. While many valid policy recommendations have been formulated for the national and EU levels, more detailed, academically rigorous studies of global labour mobility on the societal, organisational, and individual levels are needed, including studies of the complex interactions between these levels.
The H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action “Global Mobility of Employees” aims for a more complete picture on global mobility of third-country nationals into the EU and within the EU, with a focus on its impact on international careers. Joint research and training was conducted within an interdisciplinary and intersectional network of scholars and practitioners: Seven of the most experienced academic experts on career mobility at institutions from across Europe worked together to promote research about global mobility and train 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) as the next generation of experts in the field, while developing a unique network of experts in the academic and the corporate sector to help make labour mobility more efficient and beneficial for all parties involved. For 15 ESRs, GLOMO provided an international network with unique training opportunities that allowed them to produce unexplored knowledge by going beyond the state-of-the-art in international career research.
More specifically, the objectives of GLOMO are:
a. develop a systematic approach to generating knowledge about the mobility phenomenon and its implications on international careers;
b. promote researchers, who will work on the topic;
c. provide training to develop researchers capable of understanding the complex influences on international careers; and
d. suggest relevant implications for action for the European societies and economies.
The 15 individual projects generated numerous novel findings. A summary can be found in the article for the Project Repository Journal (Issue 13, 2022, pp. 48-51) where Maike Andresen, the project coordinator for most of the funding period, and ESRs Anh Nguyen and Ha Luong summarized some of the main findings of the GLOMO project.
At the micro level of individual expatriates, ESRs have generated novel in-depth insights into the careers of expatriates:
- The positive effect social capital has on the objective career success and well being
- The effect career capital and social capital has on the employability
- The Effect of factors such as national migration policies, organizational support and the previous experience have on the transfer of career capital between countries
At the meso level, novel insights were generated about global mobility management in companies:
- The difficulties self-initiated expatriates face compared to assigned expatriates due to lower support from their employers
- The effect of the increasing adaption of English as the official or unofficial language at company level has on expatriates learning their host countries’ language
At the macro level, the research of GLOMO ESRs demonstrates the important role of institutions and conditions in the countries of origin and residence, including:
- Perceptions of a hostile personal environment in the countries of residence
- Difficulties for the spouses of expatriates, especially women
- The effect of home-country characteristics such as the existence and legitimacy of comparable political institutions on outcomes like political participation and the intention to return home.
Dissemination and exploitation
The ESRs conducted empirical research employing qualitative and quantitative methods and disseminated novel findings to academic audiences, practitioners and – in a variety of formats (from social media to open-door events) – to the interested public.
The academic dissemination included the publication of 11 papers in internationally recognised peer-reviewed academic journals and the submission of 15 further papers to such journals. Fourteen further papers were completed to be submitted in due course.
Many further research findings and more general conclusions were published in the GLOMO monograph (Wanderlust to wonderland), which includes contributions of 12 ESRs. Not least, GLOMO ESRs presented their insights and findings at more than 60 academic conferences and networking events disseminating research and preparing the ground for further academic publications.
The dissemination of results to practitioners happened through multiple channels. The network had important industrial partners with a strong track record in global mobility (e.g. Airbus, Siemens, atrain, Philips). The ESRs’ non-academic secondments at such partners, the close involvement of practitioners from these partners and elsewhere, the GLOMO newsletter, the preparation of the audit “International Employer,” the GLOMO LinkedIn account, and three descriptions of project results in the European Media Dissemination Agency’s Project Repository Journal (issue 13, 2022, pp. 48-51 and issue 14, 2022, pp. 48-51 and 76-79) helped to reach out to practitioners. ESRs also sought to communicate results to an interested wider audience through active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels as well as open-door events and visits to schools.
At the micro level of individual expatriates, ESRs have generated novel in-depth insights into the careers of expatriates:
- The positive effect social capital has on the objective career success and well being
- The effect career capital and social capital has on the employability
- The Effect of factors such as national migration policies, organizational support and the previous experience have on the transfer of career capital between countries
At the meso level, novel insights were generated about global mobility management in companies:
- The difficulties self-initiated expatriates face compared to assigned expatriates due to lower support from their employers
- The effect of the increasing adaption of English as the official or unofficial language at company level has on expatriates learning their host countries’ language
At the macro level, the research of GLOMO ESRs demonstrates the important role of institutions and conditions in the countries of origin and residence, including:
- Perceptions of a hostile personal environment in the countries of residence
- Difficulties for the spouses of expatriates, especially women
- The effect of home-country characteristics such as the existence and legitimacy of comparable political institutions on outcomes like political participation and the intention to return home.
Dissemination and exploitation
The ESRs conducted empirical research employing qualitative and quantitative methods and disseminated novel findings to academic audiences, practitioners and – in a variety of formats (from social media to open-door events) – to the interested public.
The academic dissemination included the publication of 11 papers in internationally recognised peer-reviewed academic journals and the submission of 15 further papers to such journals. Fourteen further papers were completed to be submitted in due course.
Many further research findings and more general conclusions were published in the GLOMO monograph (Wanderlust to wonderland), which includes contributions of 12 ESRs. Not least, GLOMO ESRs presented their insights and findings at more than 60 academic conferences and networking events disseminating research and preparing the ground for further academic publications.
The dissemination of results to practitioners happened through multiple channels. The network had important industrial partners with a strong track record in global mobility (e.g. Airbus, Siemens, atrain, Philips). The ESRs’ non-academic secondments at such partners, the close involvement of practitioners from these partners and elsewhere, the GLOMO newsletter, the preparation of the audit “International Employer,” the GLOMO LinkedIn account, and three descriptions of project results in the European Media Dissemination Agency’s Project Repository Journal (issue 13, 2022, pp. 48-51 and issue 14, 2022, pp. 48-51 and 76-79) helped to reach out to practitioners. ESRs also sought to communicate results to an interested wider audience through active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels as well as open-door events and visits to schools.
GLOMO provides novel insights into mechanisms and conditions of successful cross-border mobility between career systems and labour markets of different kinds of employees in the European mobility space (these differences concern e.g. gender, age, qualification level, educational and professional background, country of origin, language skills).
It describes and analyses the effects and benefit of the European mobility space for individuals (e.g. in terms of careers) and organisations (e.g. in terms of performance) with a sensitivity to the factors connecting the micro level of individuals, the meso level of firms and the macro level of societies.
It provides further insights that help to manage international career development in practice. These results informed the development of the audit “International Employer” for public and private non-academic organisations. The aim of this audit is to help organisations to reflect on their employment practices in relation to expatriates and offer high-quality employment conditions for international employees. Within the GLOMO project, a trial run of the audit was performed. It is anticipated to develop the tool further as more feedback and data are analysed.
The Project also enhanced the career perspectives and employability of the ESRs by contributing to their skill development and by helping them to increase their career capital.
It describes and analyses the effects and benefit of the European mobility space for individuals (e.g. in terms of careers) and organisations (e.g. in terms of performance) with a sensitivity to the factors connecting the micro level of individuals, the meso level of firms and the macro level of societies.
It provides further insights that help to manage international career development in practice. These results informed the development of the audit “International Employer” for public and private non-academic organisations. The aim of this audit is to help organisations to reflect on their employment practices in relation to expatriates and offer high-quality employment conditions for international employees. Within the GLOMO project, a trial run of the audit was performed. It is anticipated to develop the tool further as more feedback and data are analysed.
The Project also enhanced the career perspectives and employability of the ESRs by contributing to their skill development and by helping them to increase their career capital.