A driver of economic development, a new source of growth and career accelerator... all aspects that make international mobility a crucial issue for innovative companies.

In France, the “brain drain” has been a reality since the beginning of the 2000s. This is all the more true today, especially in the technological innovation sector, where profiles are rare, demanding and mobile. For example, the industry of Smart X (smart city, smart grid, smart car...) is keen on engineers and other developers. International competition is tough there, both economically and in terms of the attractiveness of talent.

More surprisingly, it is not uncommon to see profiles leave a permanent contract in France for a fixed-term contract abroad. To take the plunge, their motivations are multiple and often unstoppable: promise of a better life, search for meaning, dreams of adventure, or simply family reunification.

In order to retain their talents, tech companies must now facilitate departures and encourage returns.

Moreover, the challenge goes well beyond loyalty. We can see that offering international perspectives is a real recruitment driver.

Towards a “global” career

In 2018, 2 to 2.5 million French people would be expatriates. An international mobility that records nearly 3.4% annual growth. The numbers of Genetet report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs speak for themselves: the international sector attracts young managers and it is in the school environment that we must look for the genesis of this success.

France is the country that sends the most students to the Erasmus+ program (43,745 students in 2017) ahead of Germany, Spain and Italy. University exchange programs, in Europe and elsewhere, have become widespread and mobility grants have also multiplied. According to the Erasmus site, 80,000 people in France benefited from mobility as part of their studies, internships or volunteering in Europe or outside Europe in 2017.

At the same time, a whole culture of nomadic work has emerged, helped by globalization.

Everything seems to be moving in the direction of democratizing international mobility within companies: demand is becoming stronger and sectors are gradually opening up to international partnership programs. Pôle Emploi itself encourages prospecting abroad with its EURES programme.

However, the milestone remains difficult for a good number of French companies.

On the one hand, the obstacles are above all cultural. Unlike the Nordic countries, which have already integrated this flexibility and despite great initiatives that are being implemented, France is still cautious about this mobility. The fear of a talent drain persists... Companies still tend to consider the desire of an employee to leave abroad as a loss, a kind of “resignation from France”. It is still difficult for some of them to consider this global vision that employees have of their careers as an opportunity. However, more often than not, this expatriation will benefit both the company and the employee. Setting up a mobility program, especially in innovative companies, will allow a spin-off of skills and the promise of a return of great value for the employer brand. With, as a result, a crucial competitive advantage in such a competitive sector.

On the other hand, while offering international mobility opportunities to its employees is a strategic decision, there are often structural obstacles that companies could face, especially when they are not a large group. For example, not having a subsidiary abroad complicates the situation.

However, it is entirely possible to start with a view to “business development”. There is no shortage of reception options on site: consulates, chambers of commerce or partner companies.

Finally, pay attention to administrative acculturation: it will be necessary to know how to answer the questions of employees on issues, in particular fiscal and social issues, but also to manage the procedures that come back to the parent company.

These are all elements that a large group would easily master, but which could constitute an obstacle, a prima facie insurmountable, for a more modest-sized structure.

So, how can we take advantage of this international momentum for SMEs, ETIs and other Start-ups?

First of all, French companies benefit from a tool of choice: V.I.E (International Volunteering Abroad). Launched in the year 2000, these contracts are highly coveted by young graduates, and very advantageous for businesses.

The formula is simple: send an employee under 28 years of age abroad as part of R&D or commercial missions, all in optimal conditions to say the least.

For the employee, the CV experience is very valuable because it allows the development of Soft Skills such as sociability or resourcefulness — qualities that will then be examined by recruiters.

In 2017, 70% of volunteers transformed their V.I.E. into permanent contracts. For the company, V.I.E makes it possible to promote its French expertise abroad, but also to attract new talent.

In December 2017, the V.I.E. program exceeded the threshold of 10,000 simultaneous missions and more than 65% of the companies that used this type of contract were SMEs.

There is another aspect that should not be overlooked: communication with businesses.

While there are numerous state portals on international mobility, their content is mainly aimed at employees. We can deplore the non-existence of services offering a privileged interlocutor to companies, a single, centralized source of information, which would allow the human resources referent to become a qualified and legitimate interlocutor for mobility, regardless of the size of the company.

It is now established that 70% of the success of an expatriation depends on the level of information given to employees by the company. Neglecting the communication aspect jeopardizes the project, devalues the experience lived by the collaborator and very often reduces the prospects of return.

Bringing talent back and attracting new ones

While the obstacles to departure are significant, those who may oppose the return of talent should not be overlooked.

For 75% of them, the asymmetry of wages between France and their country of expatriation is a real factor in giving up. In addition, French law is sometimes not very advantageous and administrative procedures whose reputation has long since gone beyond the borders of France. Result: 65% of expatriates do not plan to return to France within 5 years (source: Expatriate Barometer 2018 — Humanis/LePetitJournal.com).

Even for employees who return to France in the company that allowed them to expatriate, there is often a cultural shock of return that can endanger their motivation and therefore their loyalty.

But in recent years, great initiatives have emerged, with the aim of attracting talent who have fled France. The State, expatriate associations and even the best French Tech companies are mobilizing to “bring the French people home”.

In 2015, a collective of French entrepreneurs launched a project aimed at bringing back expatriate talent. First called “Come back Leon”, then”WONDERLEON” since 2017, the initiative has taken the form of a recruitment platform for French and European tech companies wishing to attract international profiles. Much more than a site offering jobs, WONDERLEON provides logistical or even legal support for talents seduced by a return (or expatriation) in France and Europe. A welcome initiative when we learn that 61% of French start-ups still believe that it is difficult to recruit talent in France and that 49% of them hired foreign talent in 2017 (source: 2018 EY Barometer/France Digitale).