As Asian countries look to attract new residents, complications arise from confusion over employers' impact.

Working from home during the pandemic developed from a way to get business done when going to the office wasn't an option into a lifestyle with various interpretations. Employees took a "work from home" and turned it into "work from anywhere." Anywhere, in this case, could be a different, larger home in the same city, a different city inside the same country, or anywhere in the world. Governments had been lenient over the highly-impacted years but started pulling back permissions and stopped looking the other way as borders began opening.

This article from the ASEAN Briefing highlights several new opportunities for individuals looking to work from home in another country. Starting 1 October, Malaysia will begin offering its De Rantau Digital Nomad visa; offering stays up to 12 months. Foreign professionals who want to work from Thailand and make at least US$80,000 can receive up to a 10-year visa for themselves and family. Indonesia is also considering a five-year digital nomad visa.

The article highlights the requirements for the employee, but identifying any employer requirements is more challenging. A thorough review of Malaysia's De Rantau website is heavy on the qualifications for the digital nomad visa but light on the obligations for both the employer and employee. 

Will recipients of digital nomad visas and other like-programs establish a tax presence for themselves or their employers? What is the impact on social, health and welfare programs in the home or host location? 

From the employer's perspective, should a Singapore salary based upon a high-cost location be paid on remote work completed in a lower-cost area such as Indonesia? The situation may be more straightforward for contract workers, although other questions remain relevant, including questions regarding data security of the network in the new location

Countries' invitations to employees to participate in these cross-border working arrangements seem to come faster than other stakeholders in the situation can react. Domestically, governmental tax and social security laws must be developed or clarified in conjunction with new types of nomad visas. As a result, employers may be hesitant to knowingly engage in the program without it, putting a dent in what otherwise could be a mutually positive situation. In the interim, Human Resources and Talent Mobility teams need to investigate their company's appetite for risk vs. reward in this area. 

Recent months have been challenging enough with the present work-from-home culture. Without clear rules regarding how to be locally compliant with cross-border remote work, companies will need to implement internal policies that reflect their capabilities as employers and promote those to their employees.

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.

Thanks to those of you who joined us for the inaugural Asia Talent Mobility Alliance webinar.  We are especially grateful for the time and talents of our esteemed panel of presenters: Janet Chiang, Ella Ong, Lee Quane and Avrom Goldberg.

A Few Highlights  

• Digital Nomad Visas:  The GOOD: They make an attractive offer for individuals to work remotely from Bali for up to 5 years without tax issues.  The BAD: There is not mention yet of what taxation corporations may yet face if an employees takes part. 
• Post-Covid Benefits:  Pandemic darling virtual assignments saw an increase over the past few years.  Recent ECA study reports that virtual assignements were seen more as a contingency measure and in the coming years will fall out of use in favor of all other types of long and short-term assignments.
• Cost of Living:  There are challenges to how companies manage benefit policies.  Some are based upon information now outdated due to local supply/demand issues and inflation, others because the local market has changed (re: Singapore now requires tenants to pay broker fees) or assignee needs have changed with invent of the hybrid working and home office requirements.  But also, there can be an assignee perception of change that doesn't warrant a policy adjustment or enhancement. 
• China - Assignments are shifting to other locations in Asia due to continued Zero-Covid policies.  China will not lose importance, but companies will change how they allocate roles in the country.  Shanghai and Hong Kong may join with Sri Lanka as hardship-locations where it is difficult to attract talent.
• Talent - protecting employee purchasing power and the employee experience are top of mind for relocation benefit packages in the coming year.

Work is already underway for our September webinar, and of course the official launch of the Asia Talent Mobility Alliance.  

Ella Onn

Senior Mobility Manager APAC

BASF

Ella will join will join speakers Janet Chiang and Lee Quane with moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Ella embarked on the Relocation & Global Mobility industry career journey over 15 years ago, overseeing the Asia Pacific region. A Malaysian national, she was based in China throughout her career which covers both the service delivery side, and in recent years, as in-house. She repatriated back to Malaysia in 2021 and continues building her expertise in the world of Global Mobility, and striving on providing the highest level of service possible.

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

Lee Quane

Regional Director - Asia

ECA International

Lee will join speaker Janet Chiang and moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Lee has been based at ECA International’s Asia operations since 2003 and has been Regional Director since 2009.

Lee works with major organisations in the Asia-Pacific region, providing advice and support in the field of Compensation and Benefits and International Assignment Management, thereby ensuring that ECA’s clients can respond effectively to challenges they face in a rapidly changing globalised business environment. Lee has led multiple projects assisting companies who have either just set up their international assignment operations or established organisations looking to update and ensure that their policies remain competitive.

Since taking over ECA’s Asia operations, Lee has been heavily involved in the establishment of ECA as one of the most authoritative HR data and solutions providers in the region. Lee has spoken at several international HR seminars and contributes to industry publications in the region regularly.

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

 

Janet Chiang

Program Manager, Talent Mobility APAC

Netflix

Janet Chiang will join moderator Avrom Goldberg for the first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3.

Janet has extensive years of Talent Mobility experience in the Asia Pacific region.  Her career covers roles in professional services and in-house in the Manufacturing and Entertainment industries.  She has great passion in driving excellence in users' experience.  

The first ATMA webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar panel will discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.

  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

Asia Talent Mobility Alliance (ATMA) is hosting the first in a series of webinars focused on information-sharing and collaboration.

The first webinar scheduled for 9:00 AM SGT on August 3 will focus on the issues most top of mind for everyone in the talent mobility industry.  Titled "The Summer of Discontent", this first webinar will be moderated by launch committee member, Avrom Goldberg of Weichert Workforce Mobility. 

Avrom will guide our panel's conversation as they discuss how todays challenges of inflation, transportation disruptions and shortages in supply chains are impacting relocations in Asia alongside best practices for mitigating them.

Register to attend the event, or to receive a recording.  

ATMA was formed to Empower Talent Mobility in Asia.  This webinar series is part of our commitment to Education and Community which represent two of the four Pillars of our not-for-profit organization. 

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.

The Asia Talent Mobility Alliance is a growing community of professionals from all areas of the industry.  

The strength and success of an alliance that includes a wide variety of companies across a region the size of Asia relies on membership with diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and different locations.  

Our Launch Committee members mirror that ideal and, while standing firmly behind ATMA’s mission, vision and pillars, find personal meaning in each.  We asked them to share their individual views and to permit us to publish their profiles in this series.