Measuring a moving world

Employee relocation may be necessary for both domestic and international organizations to implement new or changing corporate initiatives or simply fill positions vacated by seasoned workers. Providing relocation services is a benefit companies can offer to retain or attract qualified workers. In some instances, however, employees may be reluctant to make the move, and employers may offer additional incentives to make relocation more attractive. In either case, relocation services represent a substantial investment for corporations. Although survey results indicated noticeable economic improvements for companies, along with a relative increase in the number of relocations, many companies, particularly smaller firms, still have concerns for the future. Signals of guarded optimism emerge from firms' 2010 predictions for their companies, the US economy, and the real estate market. The majority of firms expect their financial performances to improve, and roughly half expect the US economy to improve in 2010.