Global Resources

Other Online Resources and Websites

• General
• Culture
• Human Resources
• International Assignments
• Remuneration, Pensions and Tax
• Statistics
• Travel Information and Visas

General

Accenture
The consultancy’s online journal “Outlook” contains articles with a global focus on issues such as mergers, outsourcing, emerging economies, globalization etc.

Brookfielders
Has a report detailing how many expats there are, issues arising, outsourcing, costs and comparisons, global business strategy and family concerns.

Buck Consultants
Has a quarterly report “Global View” to keep employers current with competitive employment conditions, changing laws and regulations.

Deloitte
Has a report on global talent programmmes: Smarter moves: executing and integrating global mobility and talent programs.

Doing business
Provides information about business regulations and labour laws in 183 economies and selected cities at the sub-national and regional level.

Economist Intelligence Unit
Provides data and analyses for 187 countries around the world (free registration required).

Goldman Sachs
Has a factsheet on global health, an area devoted to economic development in BRICs and a section covering the global economic impact of demographic change.

International Labour Organization
The ILO is responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards. It is a United Nations agency that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to shape policies and programmes promoting decent work for all.

Manpower
Has resources including podcasts in which senior executives speak about the future regarding talent, skills and other workplace issues.

McKinsey Quarterly
Has an article - Five forces reshaping the global economy: McKinsey Global Survey results - about grabbing opportunities in a global and interlinked economy.

OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) promotes policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Published an updated version of its guidelines for multinational enterprises in May 2011.

PricewaterhouseCoopers
The publication Cities of Opportunity provides quantitative and qualitative information on 21 capital cities around the world, looking at business, finance and culture.

TMA World 
Has articles, books, commentary, conference speeches and webinars on global training and talent development.

UBS Wealth Management Research  
Has a summary of the UBS quarterly report UBS global outlook which gives an analysis of the global macroeconomic outlook, key investment opportunities and major financial market risks. The full report is published in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese traditional and Chinese simplified. The UBS research podcast archive has podcasts on global economic issues including mergers, competition and growth.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)
Provides research and advice on making initial approaches into overseas markets. Has country reports, industry sector reports, networking and useful links.  Keep an eye on their events for your region.

United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Gives international comparisons of hourly compensation costs for employees, productivity and unit labour costs, labour force, employment and unemployment rates and consumer prices. The comparisons relate primarily to the major industrial countries but other countries are included in certain measures.

Culture

Farnham Castle

Provides intercultural training and briefing covering every country and every culture in the world.

Arab-British Chamber of Commerce 

The business services department can  provide briefing sessions for people to gain intercultural skills to help them in the Arab world.

RW3 Culture Wizard

Paid-for online teaching of cross-cultural business skills. Modules include cultural awareness training, cultural calculator, country profiles, global leadership development and global teams.

Geert Hofstede

Gives observations for 31 countries, using  ITIM International’s cultural dimensions.

Human Resources

The Boston Consulting Group
Produced report: The future of HR in Europe: key challenges through 2015

European Human Resource Forum
Provides informal benchmarking with HR leaders in European companies. Free report summaries available on registration.

Expatwomen
Website for spouses of assignees.  Gives information on schools, clubs, newspapers etc.

Website of the Federation of European Employers
Has some free information on HR issues including pay in Europe. The European HR knowledgebase provides members with information on HR practice and employment law across Europe

International HR
Blog about all issues related to international HR.

Mercer
Produces a range of global e-newsletters to help you keep up-to-date with the latest industry developments, for example health and benefits landscape for multinationals, global mobility. human capital and international HR issues around the world.

Towers Watson
Provides free US legislative tracking charts for Health and safety, HR and Retirement and executive compensation and a monthly US regulatory roundup for Health and safety, Executive compensation and Retirement.

International Assignments

CIA
The world factbook gives facts about countries including prevalence of various diseases.

Deloitte
Has free downloadable reports on international mobility issues and international assignments.

Mercer
Managing expatriates mini-site has free articles and videocasts on expatriate compensation and retirement.

HSBC
Has surveys of expat life looking at how expat life differs around the world and the kinds of challenges expats face. Also has some country guides and information about tax.
Produced a useful document showing how expats feel about different countries and where the bulk of their money goes.

Employment Conditions Abroad
Provides fee-based services covering remuneration, cost of living, salary surveys, tax, relocation advice, employment law, training, conferences and consultancy on managing international assignments and expatriates.

European Commission
Provides information on rights of workers moving within the EU and information on restrictions on workers from the countries that joined the EU more recently. There is also an overview of the rights of nationals from countries outside the EU on working in an EU country. Information on conditions applying to temporary assignments as a posted worker in another EU Member State.

European Commission
Your Europe – business provides information for each EU country on setting up a business, tax, managing staff, dealing with mergers and transferring ownership.

PricewaterhouseCoopers
Consultancy has a map showing the destination of international assignees from 1970 to 2020.

Remuneration, Pensions and Tax

US Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Gives international comparisons of hourly compensation costs for employees in manufacturing, productivity and unit labour costs, labour force, employment and unemployment rates, and consumer prices. The comparisons relate primarily to the major industrial countries but some other countries are included.

Towers Watson
The research area has downloadable reports covering various HR issues including global mergers and acquisitions, pensions and global pension assets. There are links to research archives containing reports on international pay and benefits. Provides summaries of global news on remuneration and related issues each with an employer action code and links to further information. Subscribe to a monthly update. Has a report entitled Global Pension Asset Study 2010.   covering the 13 largest pension markets in the world.

UBS Wealth Management Research
Has the report Prices and earnings: a comparison of purchasing power around the globe taking a detailed look at prices for goods and services, wages and working hours for 14 professions in 73 cities worldwide.

Deloitte International Tax Source
Provides international tax rates, information and analysis key to doing business in a cross-border environment, covering more than 60 jurisdictions worldwide.

IFC and World Bank
Paying Taxes 2011: the global picture, written jointly, looks at how easy it is for domestic SMEs to pay taxes in 183 economies worldwide.

Statistics

Eurostat
Gives employment, unemployment, inflation, GDP and population figures for countries in the European Union.

LABORSTA
Covers official core labour statistics and estimates for over 200 countries since 1969.

Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training
Contains 145 downloadable tables covering international economy and business, demographics, the labour force, employment structure and unemployment, wages and labour costs, hours of work, industrial relations, accidents, education and training and welfare.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Has a list of Statistical Offices around the world with an online presence.

OECD
Online Database has statistics on population, labour force, employment and unemployment by gender and unemployment duration, employment status, employment by sector of activity and part-time employment.  Also contains data on participation and unemployment rates by gender and age groups as well as comparative tables.

Travel Information and Visas

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Provides up-to-date advice on over 200 countries with links to UK embassies, high commissions .  Has advice for British citizens travelling overseas which is used by British insurance companies to assess the extent of insurance cover. Useful in conjunction with  World Health Organisation website which lists information on health problems.

US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
Provides information on laws, regulations and interpretations controlling immigration. There is information on working in the US, permanent residency, Green cards, temporary visitors for business visas and all aspects of the citizenship process.