Introduction

When FIDI Focus began research for the 2026 State of the Industry report in autumn last year, there was cautious, but definite, optimism in many parts of the international mobility industry.

After several years of disruption, which had come in waves since 2020’s pandemic – including periodic interruption to supply chains, labour shortages, rising costs and general market uncertainty – there were some clear positive signs.

While overall volumes were continuing to decline and the global economic outlook remained insecure, many movers had developed more resilient, leaner and more flexible ways of working, adapting their models to provide services needed in the new, higher-pressure market. With the environment still far from stable after months of upheaval, numerous success stories reported in FIDI Focus were beginning to illustrate how Affiliates had responded to an incredible challenge – and how many were now even starting to thrive. 

While these positive stories remain, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, with the attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes beginning on 28 February, changed the focus of this report, providing a reminder of how today’s market is now continually exposed to unpredictable shocks, and moving the discussion from stability to recalibration once more.

After Ukraine and Gaza, the immediate consequences of the conflict were at least somewhat predictable. They included soaring energy costs, higher shipping prices, and delays as carriers re-routed away from the blockaded Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East region as a whole – just weeks after Houthi attacks in the Red Sea had ended and transits had resumed in January. In an open letter to FIDI’s membership on 30 March, FIDI Secretary General Jesse van Sas said Affiliates should ‘set realistic expectations regarding timing, routing and potential cost implications’, advising that ‘cost volatility and operational disruption are no longer exceptional events, but… need to be anticipated and managed as part of normal business planning’.

Volatility has also compounded the impact of recent turbulence in the shipping insurance sector, explains Malcolm Pearson, of Reason Global. ‘The escalation of the conflict involving Iran has had a direct and widening impact on insurance cover for household goods shipped internationally,’ he says. ‘Insurers have reclassified certain areas as high-risk zones, fundamentally altering the availability, scope and cost of cover.’

Pearson adds that war-risk premiums – already a speciality area of cover – have risen as insurers respond to the increased threat of port disruption, missile strikes, drone attacks or vessel seizures in key maritime corridors. ‘Some insurers are now applying geographical exclusions, suspending cover while goods are transiting designated high-risk waters or ports,’ he says, causing clients uncertainty that their shipments are fully protected for the duration of their journey.

Meanwhile, the extended transit times for alternative routes – such as the most common 10- to 14-day-longer journey around the Cape of Good Hope (compared with passage through the Suez) – increase the time that goods are exposed to everyday risk, too. 

In short, says Pearson: ‘The conflict has made insurance for household goods shipping more expensive, more conditional and more complex. Insurers and shippers must now pay closer attention to route selection, policy wording and war-risk extensions.’

FIDI’s latest Business Confidence Barometer (2025 FIDI Global Business Confidence Barometer report | FIDI)

Financial Assessment (2025 FAIM Financial Assessment report by EY | FIDI)

Adaptation and consolidation

In addition to consolidation, there has been adaptation in the mobility industry, with movers and relocation businesses implementing fundamental change to the services they offer and the way they deliver them.

Across the sector, successful businesses are often those that have shifted their approach towards greater discipline and selectivity, with more emphasis on profitability and long-term sustainability. As Fabio Manuel, founder and CEO of Portuguese Affiliate Invictus, says: ‘The past few years have been intense, a real test of resilience…but it’s also forced us to grow, fast. Our company embraced transparency, invested in our people and doubled down on quality rather than quantity. We learned to say no when it protected our standards and business.’

This can mean being selective and prioritising high-value, profitable jobs with clients who value quality – something that has driven interest in FIDI-FAIM accreditation and high numbers of FIDI applications, and pushed membership of the organisation to a new high.

‘There is a great opportunity to expand from the centre, using assets and domain expertise differently,’ says Bob Rosing, CEO of Dwellworks, adding that individual specialisms supported by partnerships with other parts of the mobility ecosystem could be a winning strategy.

According to Chris Kline, of Orion Mobility, author of the book Unpacking employee relocation, movers and DSPs even have an opening to offer services such as tax gross ups and payroll. ‘With the right specialist partner, you can provide all the services clients are looking for,’ he says.  

Meanwhile, growth of flexible lump-sum and core-flex relocation models, alongside wider shifts – notably younger transferees moving with less than their predecessors – has contributed to the decline in traditional household goods volumes in many markets (although there are notable variations in this trend globally). While these models offer cost control and flexibility for employers, by fragmenting demand and shifting greater responsibility to employees, they have generated new issues for businesses to tackle.

‘Companies’ cost containment and budget pressures have rolled back support, leaving transferees to figure it out on their own,’ says Kay Kutt, CEO and Managing Director of Silk Relo. ‘If they have a lump sum in their pocket, an assignee often doesn’t know the best value for money in a relocation spend. While AI and other online tools can provide a level of support, the human-nature nuances of a relocation are often overlooked.’

These changes are part of a significant shift in the way global mobility defines value.  

Michelle Moore, CEO and President of RMC NEI Global Relocation, says the core function of mobility remains the same – helping companies deploy talent ‘where it creates the most value, without friction, delay or risk’ – but how it creates that value has broadened significantly beyond price and reliability metrics (although these remain important). 

‘As companies move beyond cost-only transactional thinking, the industry’s ability to drive long-term value depends increasingly on successful employee assimilation,’ Moore says. ‘Destination assistance – including settling in, housing, cultural and language training, schooling and spouse/partner support – directly impacts retention, productivity and speed to effectiveness, and should be viewed as essential to managing cost exposure and maximising return on investment.’

In providing services to clients, Dellworks CEO Bob Rosing says mobility providers ‘generate incredibly valuable information about costs, markets, trends, customer [transferee] preferences, concerns and expectations. This information helps us and others in the ecosystem optimise decisions, operations, execution and experience.’ With the help of emerging technology, businesses will be able to harness this downstream data to help clients develop better upstream mobility strategy about how and where they deploy talent, he adds. Again, while the physical move is at the heart of a job, providing clients with insights, more in-depth support and data – on factors such as costs, markets and employee behaviours – provide exciting new opportunities.

‘There’s no shortage of new things to try’, says Moore. ‘The greatest opportunity will be in advisory mastery - helping clients understand, quickly and comprehensively, where the value rests, given all that’s available. Managing expectations with speed and technology, as well as making their programmes efficient and intelligible in this new age of productivity that we’re headed towards.’

The RMC evolution

Alongside these wider industry shifts, the traditional RMC model is also changing significantly, as clients demand greater transparency in pricing, selection of suppliers and the performance of mobility programmes.

Orion’s Chris Kline describes how a model designed for high-value executive relocations is struggling to adapt to a broader mix of assignments, which often need to cater for more varied demands on lower margins.

‘The idea isn’t to provide the lowest price; it’s to deliver the best value – and that’s where some of these models don’t work,’ he says. ‘They are not the best value and certainly not the lowest cost.’

RMCs and suppliers have felt the squeeze and some RMCs have become more selective about the business they take on, while reassessing their ideal client profile.

Technology, meanwhile, is facilitating the automation of many relocation tasks, enabling better integration and increased efficiency of these services, lowering the barriers to entry, and introducing new competitors to the market. Traditional RMCs are having to adapt quickly, while movers and DSPs have been challenged to develop and leverage their direct relationships with clients.

Kline is among those calling for an end to commission culture. ‘No more referral fees, mark-ups, rebates – everything based on transparent transaction pricing. This is better for the suppliers and it’s better for the client, because you have complete visibility.’

FIDI Secretary General Jesse van Sas says that RMC ‘middlemen’ are essential to the modern economy – ‘critical connectors that really do help the flow of goods or services from those who have them to those who want them’ - but in mobility they have become part of an excessively long supply chain, which often incorporates many other middlemen.

‘Instead of creating value and efficiencies, that business model often leads to very significant and unappreciated costs for clients and supply chains,’ he says.

‘The balance of power has tilted and brought opacity in ways that are far from optimal. It could lead to a change, and perhaps even to a partial return of corporate clients doing direct business with the ones doing the work.’

At a time when demands on the international moving and global mobility industry have never been higher, workforce pressures have continued to build. Talent shortages – particularly in operational roles – skills gaps and the changing expectations of the next generation of workers continue to concern mobility businesses. At the same time, we can expect demand to grow for employees who are equipped to serve new services with problem-solving, advisory and coordination roles.

Meanwhile, the flow of younger professionals into the industry has brought new expectations on employers, increasing demand for roles that give staff purpose, development and flexibility.

Jackie Stouffer, the FIDI 39 Club Past President, who replaced Marcel Jörg as Gosselin Managing Director, Moving Division, in February 2026, says:

This means that companies recruiting younger people must invest in creating an environment in which they can thrive – but they’ll also benefit from a particular set of skills.   

‘The next generation brings energy, adaptability and a strong willingness to challenge the status quo,’ explains Robert Cormier, Group Director, Strategic Development, at Paramount Transportation Systems. ‘They are more collaborative, more open to change, and far more comfortable with technology and new ways of working than many of us were early in our careers.’

Telling our story

Ensuring the sector communicates this more outward-looking approach, as well as the incredible opportunities that a career in the mobility sector offers, is vital to attract and retain the best talent in the future, says Stouffer, who highlights the transferable skills this sector can teach you: cross-cultural communication, problem-solving amid high-pressure and tense situations, and an appreciation for geopolitical events and the ripple effects they have on industry.

‘These are things that cannot be taught or learned in every 9-5 job, and it really makes this industry stand out in a unique way,’ she says. ‘I believe the industry must do a better job of promoting these less tangible benefits, to move away from being seen as just "moving companies". 

‘Newcomers to the global workforce are not entering the keyword "moving" into their job searches. We have to work on changing the perception of the services we deliver, to better align with what the incoming generations are seeking.’

Cormier agrees. ‘We need to do a better job telling our story,’ he says. ‘This industry is far more dynamic and global than many people realise. In addition to moving household goods, we are enabling careers, supporting global businesses and helping families transition through some of the most important moments of their lives.

‘At the same time, we need to modernise how we present career opportunities, with clear development pathways, investment in training, and visible leadership engagement. Younger professionals want to see that they can grow, that their ideas matter and that they are part of something that is evolving.’

Steve Maples, of Alchemy Global Talent Solutions, says most people entering the industry fall into it, rather than choose it. ‘The industry often undersells the commercial and international opportunities available,’ he adds, saying that senior operational leaders remain difficult to hire because of a limited pool of proven talent.

‘Salespeople are equally challenging, as building a strong pipeline and trusted client base takes years, making most reluctant to risk leaving unless their current situation is not working.’

Companies are now ‘more selective, while still expecting high-impact hires’, Maples adds, which reduces the available talent pool further.

‘At the same time, candidates are more confident and selective,’ he says. ‘Many are weighing up multiple opportunities and prioritising flexibility, and the lack of remote options across the industry is making some roles harder to fill.

‘The talent shortage isn’t new, but it’s becoming more visible. Companies need to widen their approach, balancing experienced hires with developing talent and being more open to people with limited experience who can grow into the role.’

Moving fast, being decisive and offering flexibility to prospective employees is now key to recruiting successfully, Maples believes.

‘Strong candidates won’t wait through slow or unclear hiring processes, and many now prioritise remote or hybrid work. Companies that are slow or too rigid are shrinking their talent pool and losing top talent.’

In a more stressful environment - characterised by more complex immigration processes, rising costs, housing shortages, and greater geopolitical and economic uncertainty - and with the shift towards cost-driven, flexible mobility models, and individuals being given responsibility to manage their own relocations, businesses are paying more attention to assignee experience. 

While these packages allow better tailoring towards the needs of assignees and their families, mobility providers must work hard to make them successful, says De Haan CCO Linda Rovekamp, and make sure their staff are trained to support relocations from the bottom up.   

‘We are seeing changes in assignee packages, but even though volumes are decreasing and parameters of sending assignees abroad are changing, we see global mobility remaining a part of many organisations,’ Rovekamp says. ‘We need to step away from just looking at price, be more quality driven and work together efficiently, but also continue to train and empower our teams. We need to demonstrate transparency and flexibility, compliance and sustainability. Ensuring that we take care of our teams and put them first will motivate them to take care of assignees, too.’ 

Expat Valley’s Karlijn Jacobs says the industry has moved beyond ‘the era of the “traditional” assignee’ and that companies must guard against mistaking the arrival of an employee in their new location for success.

‘Today’s talent comes with dual-career frictions, specific neurodivergent requirements and a heightened need for socio-emotional wellbeing – to name just a few. Getting a person to their desk is not the same as getting them to be productive,’ Jacobs says.

‘When family-related stressors are left unmitigated, the assignee’s mental bandwidth is consumed by domestic stabilisation rather than their professional mandate… the assignment breakdown becomes both inevitable and incredibly costly for the organisation.’

The success of an assignment depends on execution, Jacobs adds, but how well individuals and their families are supported through the transition is often missed in the post-move evaluation. This requires a more holistic approach that combines the logistical side with structured support, clear communication and personalised service.

Businesses are mitigating this by providing access to verified, evidence-based expertise that covers the full spectrum of family systemic health. By leveraging a dedicated network of specialists, organisations ensure that the support provided is high-level and targeted, which significantly lowers the emotional toll on the family and restores the assignee’s focus to their strategic mandate.

‘We are currently trapped in a high-volume, low-empathy model, because our teams are buried in manual compliance tasks,’ Jacobs says. ‘The industry must pivot towards a model where technology manages the move while the professional manages the “transition”. Automating the administrative burden is the only way to scale individual support, allowing us to deep-dive into what is actually important to the person and their family.’

She expects this to drive a move away from 'one-stop shop' providers and towards a multidisciplinary network of niche experts. ‘As assignee and family profiles become more diverse, and their needs more specific, organisations will lean on an infrastructure of experts that influence KPIs such as assignment uptake ratio and speed to productivity,’ Jacobs says.

Navneet Agarawal, Director of Agarawal Packers & Movers, explains one of the company’s wellbeing initiatives – which aims to keeps its drivers safer on India’s busy road network

Despite greater focus on the assignee experience, measuring success remains a challenge. While many organisations recognise the importance of the assignee experience, they often lack – or are still developing – consistent frameworks to measure this.

Silk Relo’s CEO Kay Kutt believes there is a communications job to do, too, to ensure that clients understand ‘the value of the services we deliver’. 

‘Don’t allow our services to become commoditised or just another menu item to select and negotiate,’ she says. ‘When clients don’t fully understand the elements of the services, the risks we mitigate and the depth of resources we provide, we fall short of meeting a customer’s expectations. The customer experience is so important that we need to ensure all our team members can convey and meet the levels of customer experience our clients are looking for.’ 

Moving companies are also paying more attention to the wellbeing of their staff now, compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry can be a fantastic place to work, but it can be a stressful one, too – a fact discussed on more than one occasion recently with the untimely passing of several well-known industry figures.  

‘From the perspective of employer and employee, it is always important to keep duty of care at the heart of what we do,’ says Kutt; ‘mental health, wellbeing and ensuring we have the right resources to support our employees. This helps our team deliver extraordinary services to our clients and their assignees. Duty of care is not one-sided; it is multifaceted.’

Training and professionalisation

As the definition of global mobility has evolved, so the range of skills required to operate in the sector has become broader and more complex. Organisations increasingly need people who can navigate regulatory compliance, interpret large amounts of data, engage with clients and, as detailed above, manage not only logistics, but also the human aspects of relocation.

The shift has placed emphasis on the importance of training, notably the FIDI Academy. As part of its always developing offer to Affiliates, the Academy launched a DSP programme, which includes DSP certification, and recently opened much of its portfolio to the wider mobility industry.

In today’s unpredictable market, FIDI Academy Trainer Robert Cormier believes training is one of the best ways for moving and relocation businesses to differentiate themselves.

‘Organisations that invest in people, not just technology and processes, will stand out,’ he says, adding that the generational milestone at which the industry stands is a key moment in time.

‘One of the biggest risks we face is losing decades of operational knowledge as experienced professionals retire. Knowledge transfer in our industry cannot be left to chance. The future of our industry will be shaped by how well we connect experience with innovation.

‘We have an incredible foundation built by those who have dedicated decades to this business. The opportunity now is to pass that knowledge forward while embracing new perspectives, new technologies and new ways of thinking. If we get that balance right, the international moving and relocation industry will become even stronger, more connected and more resilient in the years ahead.’

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Alongside technological opportunities comes increased risk. During the past three years, the number of cyber attacks potentially impacting moving and relocation has risen dramatically, affecting movers including Asian Tigers, which alerted customers to email breaches, the airline Qantas, several European airports, and many other parts of the supply chain.

Cyber security is emerging as a critical issue for mobility providers, given the volume and sensitivity of the data they handle, says Ferri.

‘International moving companies hold a significant amount of sensitive data: customer identification documents, household goods inventories, financial records, and shipment details for government and corporate clients,’ he adds. ‘That data has real value to bad actors, and the industry's historical approach to IT security has not matched that exposure.’

Reliance on software platforms introduces additional exposure, particularly where suppliers are not vetted adequately. ‘A breach at a software provider can expose data across hundreds of moving companies simultaneously,’ says Ferri.

Many vulnerabilities are straightforward, he adds, including ‘weak access controls, absence of multifactor authentication and no documented incident-response process. These are not expensive to fix; they are simply not being prioritised.’

They should be, however – as anyone affected by a digital attack will tell you – and businesses should ensure their processes and people are protecting their operations and customers.

‘We already train people to lift boxes the right way or avoid injury on site,’ says Asian Tigers Group Chairman and FIDI Board member Gordon Bell. ‘This is the digital version of that – and the goal is to be prepared, not paranoid.’

With more software vendors than the market can sustain, and many smaller players undercapitalised, Ferri believes we should watch for the consolidation of technology providers across the moving and relocation industry.

‘This is creating a new area of risk for operators, particularly those reliant on niche platforms,’ he says. ‘A platform that disappears mid-contract is far more disruptive than one with a less polished interface.’

Long-standing challenges around agent network connectivity are beginning to be addressed, Ferri adds, with improved platforms enabling more seamless communication between origin and destination partners. ‘As these solutions mature, they have the potential to deliver meaningful efficiency gains across international operations,’ he says.

FIDI’s Cyber Security Guide (Log in | FIDINET) available to FIDI Affiliates only)

A structured business priority

As extreme weather events mount and continue to impact lives and economies, the reality of environmental disruption is becoming impossible to ignore. In addition, new reporting legislation over the past three years – including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the global IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and Sustainability Reporting Standards in the UK – mean larger businesses' sustainability obligations have increased. This is despite the federal dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion, and affirmative hiring policies by the US government, the recalibration of corporate sustainability due diligence requirements in the EU, and a general slowdown or reversal of environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities across Western economies.

While there has been political kickback against ESG (indeed, the use of this term is on the wane), FIDI’s Sustainability and Strategic Communications Manager, Magali Horbert, believes we are now entering a mature new period. ‘We are heading into the messy phase of embedding sustainability into business fundamentals, with regulatory guardrails ensuring that commitments translate into action. This isn’t the end of ESG; rather, it’s the beginning of corporate sustainability as a serious, structured business priority.’


Dominic Offer, of 17 Solutions Consulting, says: ‘Once a footnote in a pitch deck, environmental and social impact, alongside sustainability certifications, are now embedded in procurement criteria and regulatory frameworks. Clients worldwide must now account for their entire supply chain's impact across all ESG pillars, including relocation spend.

‘Alongside this, wellbeing and mental health have become genuine staff-retention and assignee requirements, not just afterthoughts.’

He adds: ‘Expectations have broadened considerably across environmental, social and economic dimensions. Clients want carbon reporting, low-emission fleets and personalised assignee support, all at standard pricing. Some expectations are realistic; others aren't yet deliverable at scale.’ At this point, honest dialogue is essential. ‘Understand what’s achievable today and what needs building towards,’ Offer says. ‘Understand the risks and have a credible plan.’

Adam Bowlby, Manager, Global Supply Chain, at Weichert Workforce Mobility, adds: ‘Organisations are now expected to quantify their environmental impact, with formal HHG [household goods] emissions reporting requiring intensive data consolidation across nearly every area of the business – from travel and housing to procurement and supplier management. Early on, many companies were afforded a degree of latitude to develop governance frameworks, define boundaries and establish implementation plans. That initial phase was often focused on education, capability building and overcoming data-quality challenges.

‘Today, however, expectations have shifted. Sustainability plans are increasingly expected to be operational, embedded into core business processes and supported by repeatable data controls. More importantly, stakeholders are now looking for evidence of progress, transparency and measurable results – a broader move from planning to execution and performance.’

Mobility programmes are still in the early stages of truly integrating sustainability innovation at scale, according to Bowlby, and there remains an opportunity to make sustainable products and services available to relocating employees.

‘As workforce demographics continue to evolve, these considerations are becoming increasingly important to younger generations, who often expect sustainability to be reflected in employer values and practical programme offerings,’ he says.

Data continues to be a key challenge, particularly as clients request more granular reporting across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, says Offer, and many providers are not yet able to deliver this consistently without significant external support. He adds that closing this gap is becoming a competitive requirement and an area in which greater collaboration across the industry will be needed.

FIDI, together with Worldfavor, launched an updated carbon calculator in September 2025, with EuRA also joining the initiative and now offering the platform to its own membership.

In the immediate future, Offer says movers and relocation businesses will need to be prepared for fleet electrification, stronger environmental and social impact data, and tightening regulation. But, he adds, ‘change isn't only about electric trucks and solar panels; it's about understanding your full impact and returning what we take from environments and communities. Cooperation, talent retention and questioning the assumption of unending growth deserve serious attention.’

FIDI’s Snapshot of World Sustainability 2025 (2025 Corporate Sustainability Legislation - world snapshot report | FIDI)

The status of sustainability in the moving industry

The global moving industry is undergoing a significant shift in how it perceives and acts on sustainability. No longer a peripheral concern to appease clients, sustainability is about risk management, winning clients, cutting costs, building supply chain resilience and retaining top talent. It is now integral to the success of a business.

Case studies show that companies that embed sustainable thinking across all operations achieve long‑term financial and strategic value, especially when heavily exposed to global changes and events. Moving companies failing to adopt a triple‑bottom‑line approach – which considers how financial, social and environmental issues affect the business – are facing rising regulatory, financial and reputational risk, and finding it harder to compete, retain clients and secure investment.

Pressure is intensifying from clients, industry bodies and governments as global challenges – such as climate change, skills gaps and education, and anti‑corruption – move from background risks to visible problems and frontline business imperatives. Clients and assignees now demand responsible operations, backed by tighter regulations and reporting, pushing the sector to treat sustainability as a core strategic issue, not a side project.

Within the moving industry, priorities are shifting towards practical, scalable interventions aligned with daily work, such as optimising logistics and fuel use, cutting waste and packaging, and offering planet‑conscious relocations, such as smaller shipments and digital documentation. Firms are also investing in transparency and data collection to measure and report environmental and social impact, supported by best‑practice guidance for organisations of all sizes.

The future of the moving industry hinges on companies that fully integrate sustainability into their business models. Coordinated, sector‑wide action is no longer optional. To meet rising customer expectations and long‑term planetary limits, the sector must build smarter, more resilient and genuinely sustainable ways of working, now.

By Dave Carlos, MD, JustOne UK