When you think of JLL, you likely picture iconic buildings, a global leader in real estate, and a powerhouse in investment management. But behind the sleek offices and impressive skyline, JLL is also evolving how it manages global mobility—positioning it as a key driver of talent development and business growth.
In a recent conversation on The View From The Top with Nicole Milman, Head of Global Mobility at JLL, we explored how the company is redefining its mobility function, centralizing immigration, and transitioning mobility from Total Rewards to Talent.
Over the past three years, JLL has expanded its global mobility function, growing from a traditional assignment-based model into a holistic, talent-driven approach. Nicole’s team is now globally distributed, ensuring real-time support for employees and business leaders across the company’s 100,000+ workforce in 80+ locations.
One of the biggest shifts? JLL is now integrating global immigration management under mobility. This means the team is not only handling traditional assignments and relocations but also managing compliance for:
🔹 New hires on visas – ensuring all work authorizations are properly tracked.
🔹 Sponsored employees – overseeing 1,400+ sponsored visas worldwide.
🔹 Non-sponsored employees – implementing global processes to standardize right-to-work tracking.
Previously, these functions were scattered across local HR teams, relying on manual reports and spreadsheets. Now, with a centralized team in India, JLL is streamlining compliance, governance, and policy enforcement—ensuring a more consistent and efficient approach.
A significant transformation is underway at JLL: Global Mobility is shifting from Total Rewards to Talent. Why? Because mobility is no longer just about compensation and benefits—it’s a key tool for talent development, succession planning, and business growth.
As Nicole explains:
“If mobility sits within talent, it allows us to be at the table with those who are shaping the company’s future—looking at skill gaps, succession pipelines, and how we use mobility to grow our talent portfolio.”
This move aligns JLL’s mobility strategy with critical workforce priorities, including:
✔ Upskilling future leaders – leveraging international assignments as a tool for leadership development.
✔ Placing talent in high-growth markets – supporting business expansion into key regions.
✔ Aligning with workforce planning – ensuring mobility isn’t just a cost center but a strategic enabler.
That’s not to say compensation and compliance aren’t still priorities. Mobility professionals juggle both “hard skills” (tax, immigration, legal compliance) and “soft skills” (talent strategy, cultural integration, and employee experience). The challenge? Finding the right balance—ensuring compliance while keeping talent development at the forefront.
With mobility now playing a larger role in strategic workforce planning, JLL is closely tracking high-growth markets where relocation volumes are increasing.
📍 Key destinations for talent expansion include:
These shifts mark a departure from traditional mobility hotspots like the U.S., U.K., and Singapore, which dominated past relocation trends. By analyzing talent flow and adapting policies accordingly, JLL is ensuring smooth transitions for employees moving into these markets.
As JLL expands mobility’s role, compliance remains a top priority. With employees frequently traveling to client sites, ensuring right-to-work adherence is critical.
JLL has strengthened its compliance framework by:
✅ Centralizing immigration tracking – ensuring all visa renewals and extensions are proactively managed.
✅ Auditing business travel reports – flagging potential risks before they become issues.
✅ Partnering with immigration vendors – optimizing efficiency while maintaining regional expertise.
“Compliance led our decision to take over immigration. It protects our company, our brand, and our clients,” Nicole emphasized.
While business travel visas remain under JLL’s travel team, mobility plays a key role in risk management—analyzing quarterly travel data to anticipate and prevent compliance gaps.
Mobility at JLL isn’t just about moving people from one place to another—it’s about building the workforce of the future. By transitioning into the Talent function, JLL is embedding mobility into leadership development, workforce planning, and global expansion strategies.
For other organizations looking to rethink their mobility function, JLL’s journey offers key takeaways:
🚀 Think beyond traditional assignments – most of JLL’s moves are now permanent transfers, reflecting broader industry trends.
📊 Use data to drive decisions – by centralizing immigration and tracking trends, JLL is anticipating workforce needs.
🌎 Position mobility as a talent enabler – embedding mobility into succession planning and workforce development is key to long-term success.
With Nicole and her team leading the charge, JLL is redefining mobility—making it a cornerstone of talent strategy, rather than just an HR function. And with exciting changes on the horizon, JLL’s approach is one that other global organizations may soon follow.
You can watch the complete show recording here, including tax and immigration updates.
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