What you’ll learn to do: explain how managers can effectively train employees for international assignments

The United States does not keep records on expatriates (citizens living and working outside of the country), so researchers have to rely on estimates for numbers. The Migration Policy Institute published a report in 2014 called “Counting the Uncountable: Overseas Americans.” The best estimates place the number of Americans living in another country, either on a temporary or permanent basis, between 2.2 million to 6.8 million. (This estimate does not include US military personnel.) Estimates of how many Americans become expatriates each year varies widely, ranging from eighteen thousand to forty-five thousand. What we can tell from these figures is that U.S. businesses spend significant amounts of money sending employees and their families around the world to work for international companies. This money is wasted if the employee is not given the tools needed to ensure a relatively smooth transition to life in another country.