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According to International Benefits Network less than 50% of companies with international staff offer any form of retirement support benefits. There are many reasons why this is occurring, some of it being difficulty acquiring workable programs or cost.
Enter 2021 with over 50 million expats worldwide and a continuing growth factor of employees opting to work in different countries. No wonder there is an increased demand for employee and retirement benefits catering to international staff. Unfortunately, and understandably, many companies are falling short.
No doubt about it. The expat lifestyle can have advantages but sacrificing home country retirement options is not one of them. Gaps in these savings can have longer-term financial consequences.
Why?
Because we are living longer due to healthier lifestyles, advanced medical science, and safer working conditions. Statista tells us there are currently 97,000 centenarians in the US. The United Nations informs us to expect the number of centenarians to rise to 573,000 by the end of 2021.
100 is apparently the new 80!
We will be in retirement longer as a result.
According to the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development:
· Retiring at 65yrs a US male could be expected to live 18.1 yrs, a woman 20.6yrs.
· Retiring at 65yrs a UK male could be expected to live 18.8 yrs and a woman 21.1yrs.
State provision alone, even if you have been able to accrue maximum benefits, is unlikely to provide for a comfortable retirement.
Finder's recent survey illustrated that 55% of employees asked, thought £100,000 was adequate to retire on. Sadly only 28% thought they were on track to achieve this.
A more realistic recommended amount by One Poll is £260,000-£445,000 depending on accommodation costs.
International employees tend to be more aware than their home country-based colleagues that state provision and personal retirement savings may be severely compromised by choosing a global career path. As a result, their financial targets could be seriously challenged through no fault of their own. Worryingly, over 35% of the 2,000 adults consulted by research provider One Poll, only sought the opinions of family and friends as their sole source of retirement planning advice.
We appreciate that researching and delivering an appropriate retirement plan to suit Expats, Third Country Nationals and to include more frequently now, local Nationals, has admittedly been a daunting task in the past.
Here at Alexander Beard (www.abg.net) we really appreciate the difficulties and ever-changing company priorities. However, we can help you painlessly through the entire exercise resulting in a bespoke International Retirement Plan to suit your company and help bring more equality to your home-based and offshore staff benefits programmes.
There are benefits to this that may not be precisely calculable but equally important to acknowledge. In a recent survey, Forbes discovered that 96% of employees surveyed strongly believe that showing empathy is a vital way to advance employee retention.
With this in mind, we understand that the ability to retire is a driving factor for employees and conversely, an inability to retire comfortably can lead to additional stressors, absenteeism and ultimately resignation. Many employees return to their home country or move to other companies that provide benefits, taking their knowledge and skillsets with them.
As a result, long-term absenteeism, sick days, high attrition rates, recruitment and training of new staff cost US companies $550 billion a year. It is clear to see then, that empathy utilized in a business setting, albeit a soft skill, pays off in improved business outcomes.
Your employees can benefit from our professional guidance through our experience working in this sector for many years. We are also friendly, approachable, and dedicated to providing excellent service to both organisations and individuals. See what our clients have to say about us here.
Companies, large and small, in both the nonprofit & with profit sectors have taken advantage of our straightforward and easy to implement International Retirement Plan that can be tailored to both employer specifications and international employee needs.
Let us help everyone towards a happy retirement…
For further information or just to talk through options, please contact:
Or visit our website here for more information.