Arval: ‘Mobility offer is important factor in employment search’

In Belgium, a comprehensive mobility offer is a decisive factor for seven out of ten employees in choosing their employer. That’s the result of a European survey of the Arval Mobility Observatory interrogating employees in the private sector.

The observatory questioned 2 905 European employees for this Employee Mobility Survey, living in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. Five hundred of them were Belgians. The private companies where these people worked all had 100 employees or more.

Car is still preferred

Working at home has been growing since the pandemic, but only 60% of the workers surveyed do at least one day of teleworking weekly. So, commuting is still very common.

For 68% of the surveyed Belgians, the car is still the preferred means of transport. Two-wheelers account for 23%, and public transport represents 18% in Belgium (compared to an average of 22% in other countries surveyed).

When asked about their choice, 42% place speed as their first motivation, followed by comfort (28%) and the fact that the employer subsidizes the work-home journeys (27%).

When it comes to business trips, Belgian employees also prefer their personal car (41%), followed by the airplane (38%) and shared cars (21%). The train is only used by 18% of Belgian employees, compared to 30% for the European average.

“For commuting and business trips, Belgian employees want a transport means that is fast, safe, and flexible (in time and place). Adding those criteria leads you in the first place to the car,” says Yves Ceurstemeont for Arval Mobility Observatory Belgium. “Belgian employees also appreciate more than their European counterparts that the employer compensates the cost of commuting,” he adds.

High expectations

Belgium leads the pack when the possibilities in proposed mobility are concerned. In Belgium, four out of five employees have at least one mobility offer (just under three out of five is the European score).

On average, there are 2,5 mobility offers per employer, but the bigger the company, the more mobility solutions are offered. That’s why just over half of the Belgians (51%) are satisfied with the over, compared to a 45% European average.

91% of all employees in the survey would appreciate it if their company offered at least one mobility solution, but only 62% use one of the mobility services offered.

“Despite the offer, the Belgian employee is not entirely satisfied yet. There is still ample room for improvement in convincing workers with a larger, more flexible, and multimodal mobility offer,” says Ceurstemont.

Influencing the choice of an employer

The survey also shows that a significant mobility offer is an important factor in accepting to work for a particular company. 70% of the Belgian employees indicate this, and 84% state that offering a company car makes a job offer more attractive. Furthermore, six out of ten Belgian employees are convinced that the mobility solutions offered by employers will increase in the coming five years.

Asked what they would surely want in the offer, the Belgian employees are significantly more attracted by a (partial)  refund of travel costs, an electrified company car, and a leased bike.

“The expectations of employees regarding their mobility offer are high, and it surely is an important factor in their final choice,” concludes Ceurstemont. “Companies that can better adjust their offer to the expectations of future employees have a significant advantage in this war for talent.”