69% of LGBTQ+ Professionals Concerned About Discrimination Laws When Relocating

A new study by Open For Business, Deloitte, and myGwork partner Herbert Smith Freehills has found that LGBTQ+ people are willing to relocate around the globe for work, but only when local laws and culture are supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• LGBT+ laws and culture are the two most important factors influencing the decision of LGBT+ people to work abroad – even ahead of healthcare and insurance.
• 69% of LGBT+ professionals cited discrimination laws related to LGBT+ people as a reason for rejecting a potential international assignment.
• Despite a desire for ‘local knowledge', over 90% of LGBT+ professionals working on international assignments did not receive information about laws or culture related to LGBT+ people from their employer.
• LGBT+ people are significantly more likely to accept work assignments to countries with higher levels of social and legal acceptance of LGBT+ people. As a country’s score of social and legal LGBT+ acceptance increases, there is a statistically significant rise in the number of LGBT+ professionals willing to travel there on international assignments.
  

Titled ‘Working Globally: Why LGBT+ Inclusion is Key to Competitiveness’, the study supported claims that LGBTQ+ professionals were very willing - 70% so - to work or commute abroad for short and long-term placements. However, the culture and laws relating to the LGBTQ+ community is the biggest factor that LGBTQ+ professionals consider when considering relocation, coming ahead of other topics such as healthcare, insurance, housing, and others. However, 9 out of 10 LGBTQ+ professionals have never been given any information about the laws and culture of the countries they're relocating to by their employers. 

Utilising UCLA Williams Institute’s Global Acceptance Index (GAI) and Franklin & Marshall College’s Global Barometers as the benchmark for measuring legal and cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+ people around the world, the data finds that as a country becomes more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, the number of LGBTQ+ professionals willing to work there increases. For every 4 points a country moves up the GAI, it becomes 10% more attractive to professionals, based on the research. 

This report strengthens the argument for the benefits of LGBTQ+ inclusion in business, which Open for Business previously established in their 2018 report. 

Kathryn Dovey, Executive Director of Open For Business, said:

“Recent years have seen a rise in antagonism towards LGBT+ people in some parts of the world, suffering discrimination at the hands of politicians and lawmakers. The global pandemic has only exacerbated this situation. All this leads to real challenges for LGBT+ professionals working and travelling abroad, who often feel unable to be open about their sexuality or gender identity. This new report adds to the growing evidence base that LGBT+ inclusion is a win-win proposition for business, economy and society.”

Kalvinder Dhillon, Vice Chair and Tax Partner at Deloitte, said:

“We have seen significant progress made to improve the mobility of the LGBT+ community worldwide. However, there is still a lot more we can do to unlock the economic benefits of LGBT+ inclusion.

“Companies need to make sure they offer their LGBT+ people practical support and information. The research shows that despite 70% of LGBT+ respondents being willing to travel for project work or short-term assignments, over 90% of LGBT+ did not receive information about LGBT+ laws, networks or culture before or after being offered the assignment. This is not acceptable and a clear sign that more needs to be done by organisations to support their people when working abroad.”

Justin D’Agostino, Chief Executive Officer of Herbert Smith Freehills, said:

“As an out, gay, CEO living in Hong Kong, I’m all too familiar with the additional barriers LGBT+ face when working internationally.  Mobility can be exciting and daunting in equal measure and employers must ensure LGBT+ employees can live, work and travel feeling supported and with the same sense of belonging, wherever they are located.  As businesses, cities and countries plan their recovery from the pandemic, it is more important than ever to work to remove barriers and promote inclusion.”

Read the full report here.