Abstract

This chapter describes Millennial expatriates, the youngest expatriate employees in organizations today. Their relevance is pronounced in a recent Deloitte report (2014) which postulates that 75 per cent of the global workforce will be Millennials by 2025. Millennials’ competencies, motivations and expectations differ from previous generations, and this chapter unpacks current research on this group pertaining to international mobility and expatriation. Millennials are eager to learn and have new experiences. They are digital natives, apt at maintaining relationships via social media and VoIP. They have experienced the brunt of the global economic recession, with many Millennials having personally experienced unemployment. For self-initiated Millennial expatriates, an international assignment is both an opportunity to find employment anywhere in the world and a time to garner new experiences. Organizational Millennial expatriates are impressed by the learning and career progressive potential of international assignments, but question their universal relevance given the prevalence of technologies which could substitute international assignments. The objective of this chapter is to familiarize readers with current research on Millennial expatriates and the recognized characteristics of this group. The implications for international human resource management research and practice are outlined. Gaps in the existing research and areas for further research are also shared.