How and why does expatriation management influence expatriates’ employability?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to offer a timely assessment of the influence of human resource (HR) processes and policies on expatriates’ employability, using a Dutch international engineering firm as the study setting. Design/methodology/approach - The qualitative study, based on in-depth interviews with 15 respondents in various roles, such as expatriates, repatriates, HR managers and line managers, is complemented by a document analysis of HR policy reports about expatriation processes. Findings - Expatriation management influences the internal employability of engineering expatriates, yet most HR policies related to expatriation work are counterproductive in terms of in-company employability of expatriates. Research limitations/implications - Further research could extend this single case study by differentiating engineering from management functions and addressing employability implications for other assignments and other forms of expatriation. Comparisons are also possible across various stakeholders with regard to social support. Practical implications - HR management can follow several prescriptions revealed by this study to increase expatriates’ employability within the organization. Originality/value - This study is among the first to relate expatriation processes to the dimensions of employability.