Women being sent on record number of international assignments

More female employees are being sent on international assignments than ever before, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

Companies based in the Asia-Pacific region said they have 16 times more women on assignment this year than they did in 2001. North American firms had nearly four times as many, and those based in Europe had more than twice as many.

A survey by the HR consultancy of more than 100 multinational companies found that 55% of businesses expect the number of women sent overseas on assignments will continue to increase steadily over the next five years.

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Also, employers said women were far less likely to be accompanied by a partner than male employees when they went abroad for work.

Yvonne Sonsino, principal at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, said: “Going on expatriate placements can be an important step on the career ladder, and women are increasingly interested in taking these assignments.”