SPOUSE | PARTNER CAREER SUPPORT in the Netherlands

SPOUSE | PARTNER CAREER SUPPORT in the Netherlands
Why Partner Employment is a Key Issue for Company's Hiring Expats

Why should partner| Spouse employment be a key issue for international employers looking to hire overseas applicants into their business? Well, according to a unique study by the Permits Foundation, titled the International Survey of Expatriate Spouses and Partners, 60% of the global workforce would be 'unlikely to relocate to a country where it is difficult for their partner or spouse to find work'. This was a very expansive study, which took in the views of 3,300 expatriate spouses and partners from 122 nationalities working in 117 host countries.

Therefore, this study deserves to be taken very seriously by international employers and recruiters, because if employers can somehow make it easier for partners to get employment, then their company will become more attractive to international jobseekers. This means you may have an edge over your competition and may find it easier to attract top international talent for your hardest to fill roles.

Partners of expats want to work but struggle to find work

The study also highlighted the extent to which partners of expatriates were failing to find employment when in the host country. For, example, while 90% of partners were employed before expatriation just 35% were employed during expatriation, and the sad thing here is that an overwhelming 75% actually want to work in the host country.

Call to action

But, the additional finding of the study which should urge employers to act was that 75% said that they would like help with finding employment and with getting a work permit, yet less than 1 in 5 feel they received this help. This is a clear call to action for international employers as it represents a great opportunity for you to differentiate your offering from the masses by making partner employment key to your international talent strategy and helping partners of expatriates to actually find jobs in the host country.

Make it part of your employer offering

If you are going to assist with partner employment then you need to make it known to candidates early on at the point at which they are deciding whether to apply for your job, that is, if you want it to have the desired effect and encourage them to apply for your job. Therefore, make sure there is a clear reference to your partner employment assistance policy in the vacancy description with a link back to your website with a more detailed run down of your partner employment assistance package

Become an employment agent

So, what kind of assistance should employers be giving to partners? 75% of partners said they would like help with getting a work permit, so clearly this is the first and most important area of assistance you can offer.

The other type of assistance should be in finding a job and this should be playing the role of a recruiting agent, so placing someone into a new role rather than hiring them. The kind of help you can provide would be CV writing advice for the host country, coaching on the kind of jobs they would be suited for, coaching on how to pitch themselves, advice on where to find suitable opportunities, and assistance with interview preparation. You could also recommend Together Abroad Career Portal or an agency /recruiter to help them find a job.

Finally, if international recruiters want to make their company especially appealing to expatriate candidates, one of the chief ways to do this is help the expatriate's partner to get a job in the host country too.

Happy Partner, Happy Life? Indeed – if your employers partner isn’t happily employed, your expat isn’t likely to stay at your company for long. Offering your expat’s partner help in finding employment is a strategic hiring advantage that keeps the best international talent on your roster.

Together Abroad will assist them to search for job opportunities and learn options which can facilitate their entrance to their career choice in the Netherlands.