According to a survey by CEMS, a global alliance of business education, 46% of international HR managers struggle to find good global candidates with an international outlook.

The research also found that 87% of respondents consider foreign language skills to be important for employability. Meanwhile, HR managers see the major challenges of working abroad for their employees as understanding a new culture (48%), cultural shock (24%) and language/communication issues (16%). Other issues raised include problems with finding a position when employees return (repatriation), high costs for the company and visa issues.

The research involved in depth interviews with 80 global HR managers, half of whom were based in Europe. Over half were from companies with over 1000 employees.

One in seven HR managers from larger organisations said that over 30% of managers within their company work internationally (out of their home country), though this figure was lower in smaller companies (41% of all respondents stated that less that 5% operate internationally).

The main advantages of hiring globally were seen differently depending on the region with 74% of European HR managers stated that hiring from different countries leads to a diverse working atmosphere. Non-European HR managers (US and Asia) focused more on the need to close recruiting gaps that are hard to fill and meet graduate expectations of working with international colleagues.

“It is clear from this research that global mobility is very much on the agenda of HR professionals and particularly in larger organisations a substantial proportion of managers operate internationally,” Roland Siegers, Executive Director of CEMS, said. “Despite this, many still say they have some trouble recruiting the right global profiles. Respondents also identify the many challenges involved with placing employees internationally, including cultural awareness and language barriers.”

“In time of global challenge the world requires internationally educated, inspired leaders and employees, who can build bridges across the divides that separate us and who are globally-minded, while sensitive enough to know when it is appropriate to act locally,” Siegers said. “Because of this, and in light of these findings, companies need to invest in employees and managers to make sure they are equipped with the skills to operate globally.