In an increasingly uncertain international environment, the security of employees is an imperative for businesses. This article is concerned with the situation of French expatriates involved in the international development of companies, using the example of the large-scale retailing sector.
Expatriates' Security Management in the Supermarket Sector
In an open and competitive world where people, money and businesses move about freely, expatriation is a direct consequence of globalisation and the unprecedented growth of foreign direct investment since the middle of the 1990s.(1) Around 50,000 French employees are sent overseas by their companies; the number of French people living outside France is estimated at 2.2 million.(2)
Over the years the expatriation of skills has changed greatly. According to a recent study the main reason why enterprises post personnel overseas is now the management of local situations, the second being the transfer of skills and technical know-how (in first position in 1996).(3) The notion of international mobility seems more appropriate today than expatriation, in an approach centred on the posting of employees of different nationalities to various countries, in line with the development of professional careers, especially for young people.
Multinational firms therefore no longer think in terms of nationalities but in the skills of their employees, whilst the number of expatriates is dwindling in favour of ‘adapted’ local contract personnel and more temporary postings.
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