Are HR leaders looking for tech talent in the wrong places?

Those willing to explore markets beyond saturated technology hubs have the best chance of finding undervalued pools of remote tech talent. This report shows that organisations prepared to build globally distributed teams can capitalise on an untapped opportunity — and it’s often simpler than expected.

What challenges come with global tech recruitment?

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

This 2022 survey asked respondents about 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 uneasy about staying compliant.

38%

More than a third of respondents report difficulty in learning local legal requirements when hiring in new regions.

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

Expert global recruitment insight 02

Emerging tech hubs offer competitive advantages

You can often attract top-tier talent from other countries that might be out of reach in your local market because of intense competition. Tech professionals outside established hubs tend to respond positively to organisations offering globally competitive pay. Such roles can be transformative for international candidates and their families, particularly in developing countries. In turn, you can expect greater motivation and loyalty.

Brett Jones, Co-founder at OFFERZEN

02. Legal requirements and cultural fit concern hiring managers

Hiring managers who intend to hire tech talent in new regions are worried about two main areas of remote work — how to legally employ people and how to manage culture successfully across a geographically diverse team.

Legal requirements

The survey indicates hiring managers are anxious about remaining compliant when recruiting outside their own country. It is a genuine concern, but one that companies committed to onboarding the right talent can navigate.

Expert global recruitment insight 04

Overcoming barriers to global hiring

The advantages of international hiring are clear — you can broaden access to the world’s best talent and create a genuinely diverse team. Recruitment rooted in shared values lays the groundwork for lasting success. Leaders who hire people with common values can establish an inclusive, equitable, and trusting environment that allows a global team to prosper.

Anastasia Pshegodskaya, Director of Talent Acquisition. Remote

01. Experienced remote tech professionals are located across the globe

Knowledge workers adapt to remote teams relatively easily if you adopt a globally inclusive recruitment approach. Outstanding candidates are found all over the world, but acquiring their skills requires a new remote-first hiring strategy.

Action

Legally and compliantly hire a global workforce with ease

Hiring remote tech talent does not have to be complicated. As the most trusted EOR in the market, Remote removes the requirement for you to establish an entity in every location — a costly step that can limit your ability to scale. Remote gives you the assurance that you:

• have the correct contracts

• comply with local labour laws and tax regulations

• classify your employees and contractors correctly

You can recruit people worldwide with Remote legally, simply, and quickly. You can even grant international employees stock options in your company through Remote’s platform!

02. There is no one-size-fits-all global pay strategy

Expanding your team globally offers great benefits, but HR managers must overcome a few hurdles when designing remote compensation plans that support a high-performing international workforce.

• Employees quickly notice if they are being underpaid compared with colleagues and international market rates, but paying everyone the same is not necessarily the right solution.

• Benefits packages also need tailoring across different geographies.

• People with similar education, skills, and experience should have access to comparable lifestyles and disposable income within their country of residence.

Action

Provide competitive pay and benefits packages

Remote’s global employment platform saves you time, money, and effort by building country-specific benefits packages at highly negotiated rates. You can offer fair, best-in-class benefits to your employees for a fraction of the cost of doing this alone or setting up a legal entity. You can even offer stock options to your international workforce.

03. Asynchronous work is essential for globally successful teams

Asynchronous (async) working allows a globally distributed team to be productive regardless of time zones. Performance is judged on output rather than when work was done. The autonomy and flexibility this provides are strong incentives for experienced tech professionals worldwide.

Many potential hires have years of experience working productively in fully remote environments.

Action

Create purposeful remote-first working practices

An async environment demands better communication and documentation, which in turn improves morale and productivity.

04. Async working removes several barriers to global hiring

An async approach tackles many of the obstacles that deter hiring managers from expanding into remote work. Deliberately inclusive practices promote diversity and allow a truly global team to succeed. Skilled remote tech professionals are seeking roles that encourage life-work balance. Employers can enable remote workers anywhere to adopt schedules that fit their timezone and lifestyle. Beyond attracting top remote talent, establishing processes to manage a global team will boost productivity and improve retention.

Employ with Remote

Deliberate remote-first practices and async workflows support innovation and increase the productivity of your global team. While it requires discipline to produce good documentation and shift away from real-time workflows, the benefits outweigh the limitations of traditional synchronous work. In creating those documentation assets, you can evolve your organisation into one fit for the future of work. Diversity brings long-term advantages and embedding inclusion into your company culture delivers real value.

Remote can help you remove the complexity of complying with international legislation.

Establishing local entities abroad is almost always prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. We set up our entities to meet the highest compliance standards so you can expand your global presence with confidence.

About this study

Remote surveyed 1,485 decision-makers across six key markets who identified themselves as actively hiring tech talent. The survey ran 9–26 September 2022 in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Each country contributed roughly 200 respondents to the study.

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