Are HR leaders searching for tech talent in the wrong locations?

Those willing to investigate markets beyond overcrowded tech centres are most likely to uncover undervalued pools of remote tech talent. This report shows that organisations prepared to assemble globally distributed teams can capitalise on a largely untapped opportunity — and it’s easier than you may think.

Which primary hurdles come with recruiting tech talent on a global scale?

Get firsthand insight from more than 1,400 executives and hiring managers from organisations across Germany, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In this 2022 survey, respondents were asked about the most important considerations when hiring in established talent hotspots such as New York, London, and Tokyo, along with 15 emerging tech hubs around the world.

Our survey revealed that hiring managers are concerned about maintaining compliance.

38%

Over one-third of respondents report difficulty understanding local legal requirements for hiring in new regions.

Download the report to discover how straightforward it can be to gain the benefits of international employment with speed, security, and minimal risk.

Global recruitment insight from experts 02

Emerging tech hubs provide a competitive advantage

Employers can often attract top-tier talent from other countries that may not be reachable in their local market due to intense competition. Tech professionals outside established, saturated hubs tend to respond more favourably to organisations offering globally competitive compensation. For candidates—and often their families—particularly in developing nations, these roles can be life-changing. Employers can expect increased motivation and loyalty in return.

Brett Jones – co-founder at OFFERZEN

02. Legal requirements and cultural fit concern hiring managers

Hiring managers preparing to recruit tech talent in new regions are worried about two primary areas of remote work — how to legally employ people and how to effectively manage culture across a geographically dispersed team.

Legal requirements

The survey indicates hiring managers are uneasy about maintaining compliance when hiring beyond their borders. It is a genuine concern, but one companies committed to onboarding the right talent can navigate.

Expert insight on global recruitment 04

Breaking down barriers to global hiring

Hiring across borders delivers a clear advantage – it immediately opens access to the world’s top talent. Equally, it gives you the chance to form a genuinely diverse team. Recruitment rooted in organisational values forms the bedrock for long-term success. When leaders prioritise candidates who share those values, they cultivate an inclusive, equitable, and trust-filled environment that allows a global team to flourish.

Anastasia Pshegodskaya, Director of Talent Acquisition. Remote

01. Experienced remote tech professionals are located across the globe

Knowledge workers adapt to collaborating in remote teams with relative ease so long as you take a globally inclusive approach to recruitment. Exceptional candidates exist everywhere, yet recruiting them calls for a fresh, remote-first hiring approach to secure their skills.

Action

Hire a global workforce legally and in full compliance with minimal effort

Hiring remote tech talent is easier than it seems. As the most trusted EOR in the industry, Remote removes the need for you to set up a legal entity in every jurisdiction — a costly process that can slow your ability to scale. Remote gives you the confidence to ensure you:

• have appropriate contracts

• are compliant with local employment laws and tax regulations

• correctly classify your employees and contractors

With Remote, you can legally hire people worldwide quickly and easily. You can even provide your international employees with share options in your company via Remote’s platform!

02. There is no single global compensation model that fits all

Scaling a team internationally can deliver huge advantages, but HR leaders face specific challenges when developing remote compensation plans to create a high-performing global workforce.

• Employees will quickly notice if their pay lags behind colleagues or international market rates, but simply paying everyone the same amount is not a straightforward remedy.

• Benefits packages also need to be tailored to different geographies.

• People with the same education, skills, and experience should be able to enjoy a comparable standard of living and disposable income in their country of residence.

Action

Provide competitive pay and benefits packages

Remote’s global employment platform reduces the time, cost, and administrative effort by creating country-specific benefits packages at highly negotiated rates. That enables you to provide equitable, best-in-class benefits to your employees for a fraction of the expense of managing it independently or establishing a legal entity. You can even offer share options to your international workforce.

03. Asynchronous work is essential for globally successful teams

Asynchronous working allows a globally distributed team to be highly productive regardless of time zones. Performance is judged by completed work rather than by when individuals are online. The autonomy and flexibility this provides are powerful incentives for experienced tech professionals worldwide.

Many such candidates bring years of experience delivering results productively within fully remote environments.

Action

Establish deliberate remote-first work practices

An asynchronous work environment demands increased communication and documentation, which in turn tends to raise employee morale and improve productivity.

04. Async work breaks down several obstacles to working globally

An asynchronous approach directly addresses many of the concerns that stop hiring managers from pursuing remote hiring. Intentionally inclusive practices promote diversity and allow a truly global team to thrive. Skilled remote tech professionals often seek roles that support life–work balance, enabling them to organise their work around time zones and personal schedules. Beyond attracting talent, implementing the right processes to manage a distributed team will boost productivity and staff retention. Skilled remote tech professionals are actively seeking roles where life-work balance is encouraged. That means employers can enable remote workers anywhere to work on the schedule that suits their timezone and lifestyle. Apart from attracting top remote talent, building the processes to manage a globally distributed team will maximise productivity while boosting staff retention rates.

Employ with Remote

Deliberate remote-first practices and asynchronous workflows encourage innovation and maximise the productivity of your global team. Although developing thorough documentation and shifting away from real-time workflows takes discipline, the advantages far outweigh the limitations of traditional synchronous work. While building those documentation assets, you can transform your organisation into one that is prepared for the future of work. Diversity delivers important long-term benefits when inclusion is embedded in your company culture.

Remote can simplify the task of ensuring compliance with international legislation.

Creating local entities overseas is typically prohibitive in both cost and time. We create and operate entities that adhere to the strictest compliance standards, allowing you to grow your global footprint with confidence.

About this research

Remote collected responses from a total of 1,485 decision-makers across six key markets, all of whom identified themselves as currently hiring tech talent. Fieldwork took place September 9, 2022 – September 26, 2022 in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Each country contributed around 200 respondents to the survey.

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