top of page

Issue - January/February 2025

Global Impacts: How Elections Influence the Moving Industry

Global Impacts: How Elections Influence the Moving Industry

By Ruth Moritz, Vice President/General Manager Global Relocation, Interstate International, Inc.

As citizens of a Constitutional Republic, people in the United States have the privilege and duty every four years to cast their vote for a presidential political candidate that best aligns with their personal convictions. With any newly elected president, whether they enter the seat as the incumbent or not, changes to domestic and foreign policies are inevitable. These changes impact not only the American population but those individuals residing outside the United States. No single individual or industry is untouched by the voting decision made by the American people. The question becomes, what is the impact?


As it relates to the moving industry, a large section of individuals, corporations and government agencies react to an election by making the decision to not decide. The “wait and see” approach places the brakes on overall relocation momentum until the new presidential administration is fully in place and functioning. 2025 is forecasted to start off in this traditional paused stance until such time the picture becomes clearer. Not surprisingly, caution is the motivator as the unknown is front and center.


At the individual level, initial reaction to the presidential race outcome can generate emotions that can lead people to fantasize about a new start elsewhere in a domestic or international community that better aligns with their personal opinions and allows them the freedom to be governed in a way they prefer. While the thought of relocating to that better place is fresh and exciting, very few take the risk. When analyzing the proposition, current economic conditions largely drive the decision process, followed by emotional ties to their community and overall potential job opportunities in a new area. The expectation is that changes to interest and mortgage rates will occur under the new administration favorable to the consumer, allowing individuals to become more pocketbook-agile. This will give them the confidence to take the leap into a new setting.


The November U.S. presidential election and January inauguration, coupled with the annual timing of corporations preparing new year budgets and forecasting, provides a boardroom environment where many decision-makers remain conservative in their approach to avoid getting it wrong. Corporations will want to understand how new administrative tax policies, trade agreements, regulations and tariffs will impact their day-to-day operational capability. Understandably, a more cautious approach provides stakeholders with additional confidence. However, the “wait and see” approach could potentially lead to missed opportunities in innovation, growth and expansion, creating an adverse effect. For those corporations remaining agile and willing and able to expand their geographical footprint, sourcing and placing talent will increase the need of relocation management and transportation services.


Government agencies, to some extent, are forced into an initial “wait and see” approach, as taxpayer-funded budgets are managed and determined by the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Newly-inaugurated policy makers will seek to make the changes they promised during their campaign efforts and begin to draft the legislation that brings the regulations into reality to satisfy their constituent base. These changes, no matter how minimal, take some time before they are placed into effect and ultimately felt by the respective government agency. From hard policy amendments to key initiatives such as border security, immigration, environmental regulations, humanitarian efforts and foreign aid support, to softer policies guiding government employee remote work procedures or frequency of Permanent Change of Station duty assignments, decisions born and made on Capitol Hill greatly shape the path in which federal and state government agencies operate and staff talent.


As a relocation management company, domestic or international transportation provider, the key to navigating the election impact, whether it is known or unknown, in the private transferee, corporate or government market is through revenue diversification. A blended client and asset portfolio minimizes the impact of any one regulation, tariff, policy or edict. Remaining agile and nimble in flexing to legislative changes is critical in maintaining operational continuity and market presence. The approach and direction to diversification is shaped and formed through continued research of current market trends reported through economic indicators, published indexes, attendance at industry events, symposiums or workshops, peer-to-peer networking and monitoring social media platforms.


Regardless of the election result, individuals and entities willing to pivot and lean into change are better positioned to use the voting outcome to their advantage and subsequently surface as an industry leader.

bottom of page