From fixed to flexible: Why Asia’s top talent expects benefits that move with them

“We help employers structure and source private health insurance plans with regional or global coverage, so their employees can stay protected when relocating or travelling frequently.” – Jacklyn Tan, Regional Director of Employee Benefits at Howden

The traditional foundation of statutory schemes like Singapore’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) or Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is showing its limits as cross-border talent mobility rises. Employees working across jurisdictions increasingly expect benefits that go further, adapting to regional realities and supporting long-term wellbeing. For employers, this shift is creating new pressures to design packages that are not only locally compliant but also regionally competitive.

This is where a global perspective is essential. Howden, with its acquisition of Barnett Waddingham, a UK professional services consultancy, has doubled its global employee benefits business to over 4,000 experts. This acquisition brings a deep expertise in pensions and benefits from mature markets, which Howden is now adapting to suit the unique needs of the Asian talent landscape.

In a recent interview with HRM Asia, Jacklyn Tan, Regional Director of Employee Benefits at Howden, spoke about the most significant shifts she’s observed. She said, “The biggest shift we’re seeing is the growing demand for portability. Statutory frameworks like CPF and EPF are essential, but they’re country-specific and often not structured to support employees working across multiple jurisdictions.”

This demand spans mobile employees of all types, whether on secondments, regional assignments, or hybrid work arrangements. For these professionals, benefits like portable retirement savings, international private medical insurance (IPMI), and flexible leave policies are becoming decisive factors in employment choices. “Employees – particularly those who move between Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian markets – are looking for retirement, medical, and leave benefits that move with them,” Tan noted.

Flexibility has become a buzzword in HR, but Tan emphasised that regional adaptability is the real differentiator for today’s mobile workforce. “A one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t cut it anymore,” she said. “Mobile employees come from diverse backgrounds, live in cities with vastly different costs of living, and face unique healthcare and retirement systems.”

Forward-looking employers are laying private, supplementary benefits on top of statutory schemes to create competitive packages. Examples include customisable insurance plans with regional coverage, enhanced contributions to local retirement schemes, and perks tailored to local realities, such as housing or transport allowances in high-cost cities.

At Howden, Tan and her team help organisations design such benefits. She elaborated, “We help employers structure and source private health insurance plans with regional or global coverage, so their employees can stay protected when relocating or travelling frequently. Others enhance their packages with financial wellbeing tools or mental health support that are relevant and accessible to across the region.”

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For HR leaders and business owners, understanding these shifts is a matter of survival. Tan anticipates three major trends that will shape the future of cross-border employee benefits in the next three to five years:

1. Continued growth in portable benefits: With the rise of regional headquarters and Special Economic Zones, the demand for harmonised, cross-market benefits will only intensify. Organisations will need solutions that cater to a workforce that rotates through multiple countries over their career.
2. Integrating global best practices with local realities: The most successful businesses will be those that can adapt insights from mature markets like Europe and apply them effectively to the diverse, dynamic Asian landscape. This requires a nuanced, consultative approach rather than a rigid, top-down strategy.
3. Strategic alignment and digital access: Beyond the benefits themselves, the way they are communicated will be key. HR teams must invest in better communication and digital platforms so that employees clearly understand their entitlements. More importantly, this communication needs to be a core part of the employer brand. As Tan puts it, the goal is to “designing benefits that reflect the organisation’s identity, support employee wellbeing, and reinforce its ability to compete in an increasingly borderless talent market.”

To stay ahead, organisations must be proactive. By prioritising portability, embracing personalisation, and strategically aligning the benefits with their employer brand, HR leaders can transform their benefits packages from a mere operational necessity into a competitive advantage in the race for talent.