Where are US companies hiring globally? A March 2026 snapshot

As the business world moves into Q2 2026, hiring patterns are starting to settle after a slower start to the year. In a climate where headline economic data often points to a challenging job market — with hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers navigating a complex landscape — it's easy to assume that domestic hiring is grinding to a halt.

But looking at the data, one thing remains abundantly clear: US companies are continuing to build global teams across multiple regions at once. And importantly, this global growth engine is running alongside domestic efforts, not in place of them.

To understand how this is playing out, we looked at cross-border hiring activity on the Remote platform, based on where active employees are currently employed across thousands of companies.

Here’s what the data tells us about the state of global hiring so far in 2026.

Where US companies are hiring internationally

Right now, the top ten most common countries where US companies are employing talent (through Remote) are:

1. The Philippines
2. Canada
3. India
4. The United Kingdom
5. Mexico
6. Brazil
7. Argentina
8. Spain
9. Colombia
10. Germany

When we look beneath the surface of this list, several distinct patterns emerge regarding why and how companies are choosing these locations.

1. Operations and expansion dictate the map

The UK, Germany, Spain, and Canada are markets where US companies often have a significant number of customers, partners, or business operations. And unsurprisingly, hiring in these locations is heavily tied to supporting that presence.

This indicates that companies aren't just looking for cheap labor. They are looking to embed their teams in the markets they serve, to ensure deep local context and better customer continuity.

2. Latin America solves the real-time collaboration puzzle

Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia share overlapping working hours with much of the US. This makes day-to-day, real-time coordination vastly easier for cross-border teams.

As synchronous collaboration remains vital for many agile teams, Latin America provides the perfect balance of exceptional talent and time zone alignment.

3. Expanding beyond the traditional hubs

While India and the Philippines have been part of global hiring strategies for years and consistently remain core locations, the data shows companies are looking far beyond these established hubs.

As different industries and requirements emerge, US employers are casting a wider net, building teams across a broader range of countries depending on the specific, niche skills they need to acquire.

4. Canada remains a natural extension

Canada consistently stands out due to its geographic proximity, cultural similarities, and aligned business environment with the US, making it a frictionless extension for US-based teams scaling their operations.

The big question: Is global talent replacing US talent?

Given the high number of layoffs in recent years, it’s fair to ask if this indicates a wider trend of US companies replacing domestic workers — especially for white-collar and tech workers feeling the squeeze of the current US job market. So, are companies actively passing over domestic candidates to hire globally?

The short answer is no. It is not a clean line between “replacing” domestic workers versus “filling gaps.” In most cases, companies are simply widening their hiring scope.

In our data, we are not seeing companies step away from hiring in the US. In fact, on the Remote platform, US companies still have more employees based in the US than in any other single country, even as they rapidly expand internationally. This points to a continued, stubborn demand for US-based talent.

What is actually changing is how teams are structured. As companies grow, they are expanding their search to other regions to:

• Find additional capacity
• Secure specific skills that may not be immediately available locally
• Extend their operational coverage

In short, teams are becoming more distributed, but US headcount remains the foundational core of that overall mix.

The shift to a 24/7 knowledge economy

This distributed model isn't just a trend for tech giants; we are seeing this across a wide range of company sizes and industries. It is particularly dominant in knowledge work: functions where output is not tied to a physical site.

Companies are spreading work across regions to support customers in different time zones, maintain operational continuity, and keep projects moving around the clock. The fact that this global hiring model is being consistently practiced across such a diverse array of organizations proves that this is no longer about "optics" or a temporary cost-saving measure; it has simply become the standard, highly productive way to scale a modern business.

Where could — and should — your company be hiring?

What this means for professionals navigating the market

For job seekers today, the main narrative shift is that opportunity sets are vastly broader than they used to be.

Because teams are no longer built in a single location, roles aren’t always tied to where a company is headquartered. US-based professionals can (and should) look at both domestic and international employers. An employer in London or Berlin is just as capable of hiring you in the US as a company down the street.

Of course, some roles remain stubbornly domestic, particularly those that require deep local market context, regulatory knowledge, or mandatory in-person collaboration. But for the vast majority of knowledge workers, the keys to staying competitive are evolving. Being able to work effectively in distributed teams, communicating clearly across asynchronous channels, and showing measurable impact matter more than ever.

Key takeaways for Q2 2026 and beyond

Ultimately, this data suggest the following:

• A widened scope: US companies are building teams across multiple regions simultaneously, expanding their talent pool rather than concentrating on a single market.
• Practical drivers: Geographic proximity, real-time working hour alignment, and local market presence continue to shape where teams are being built.
• A standardized growth engine: Europe, Latin America, and Asia each play distinct, strategic roles in how US companies scale, proving that distributed work is the new baseline for global operations.

For companies, this data reflects a mature, consistent approach to building teams across borders. For professionals, it’s a powerful reminder that in a globalized knowledge economy, opportunities are no longer limited by geography.

Is your business looking to tap into overseas talent — without the hassle and high costs? See how Remote can help you hire, onboard, and manage across borders with ease.