As global talent markets evolve and competition intensifies, People leaders are being called to think beyond borders. With talent shortages projected to cost the global economy $8.5 trillion by 2030, global hiring is no longer optional—it’s a strategic necessity.
In this guide, we combine industry data and insights from Oyster’s internal subject matter experts. The result: a practical, step-by-step framework to help you build a compelling case for global hiring in your organization.
But first, why hire globally?
1. Access to talent
Talent scarcity is driving global recruitment. In our 2025 Global Hiring Trends report, People leaders share that the top reason to hire globally is accessing new talent pools. When it’s tough to find specialized, high-demand skill sets locally, people must look beyond borders.
2. Cost-conscious growth
Tapping into the global talent pool can be a great way to lower your headcount costs while still getting incredibly qualified talent. Plus, this creates economic opportunity in emerging markets. Smart organizations leverage this to scale without ballooning budgets.
3. Workforce agility and productivity
Distributed teams enable “follow-the-sun” operations, boosting responsiveness and productivity. In a sense, your business never sleeps. Team members can hand off work to their colleagues who are just starting their day, driving projects forward faster.
4. Market insight
Local hires provide cultural context, customer knowledge, and regional fluency. If your organization has plans to grow into new markets, having local insight will give your team an edge.
5. Diversity of thought
Global teams bring varied perspectives and experiences that spark innovation, creativity, and new approaches.
7 steps for making a convincing case for global hiring
In this 2024 study, 75% of employers reported difficulty in filling roles. You can get ahead of these challenges by leveraging global hiring. Here are seven vetted steps to help you get your strategy approved.
Step 1: Assess talent gaps and business needs
Start by understanding what you need—now and next.
- Map current roles and skills using HRIS tools, manager surveys, or even a Google Sheet.
- Forecast future needs by aligning with Finance and business leaders on upcoming growth plans, attrition risks, or new market launches.
- Benchmark against competitors to identify hiring trends, skill hotspots, and location strategies. Platforms like LinkedIn or talent intelligence tools can surface useful patterns.
💡 Tip from Mona Grewal, International HR Business Partner at Oyster: Start simple—identify strategic, hard-to-fill, or high-turnover roles. Use skills inventories to pinpoint what’s missing and where.
Step 2: Explore global talent markets
Once gaps are clear, explore where the right talent lives. We’ve got tools and resources linked below to make this step easier!
- Use global hiring trend reports to uncover up-and-coming talent markets.
- Assess salary benchmarks to understand cost differentials.
- Factor in time zones to build coverage or boost productivity.
- Use local hiring guides to understand local employment laws and consult with experts to avoid surprises.
Step 3: Quantify the opportunity
To convince execs, numbers matter. To show your leaders that global hiring makes sense for the business, frame your case around these outcomes:
- Cost savings: Compare compensation and overhead globally vs. locally.
- Time-to-hire gains: Highlight how wider markets reduce fill times.
- Operational value: Showcase benefits like resilience, agility, and productivity across zones.
💬 Insight from Erin Goodey, Director of People Services at Oyster: “Global hiring isn’t just about saving costs—it’s a strategic lever for growth. It enables faster scaling, access to hard-to-find skills, and round-the-clock operations. By building distributed teams, companies boost agility, reduce risk, and ensure business continuity in an unpredictable world.”
Step 4: Address risk mitigation
Hiring globally makes your company more resilient, not more exposed. Here’s what you need to explain:
First, diversifying beyond one market reduces the impact of situations like localized shortages and inflation. It ensures continuity even when one region faces economic downturns, political instability, or competitive hiring pressure.
Second, if you leverage contract talent, you can achieve greater flexibility during market uncertainty.
Step 5: Navigate compliance and legal concerns
Compliance is a top objection—but it’s solvable, especially when you partner with an Employer of Record (EOR). EORs eliminate the need to set up entities and reduce risk of misclassification or tax exposure. They manage the full employment process from legal employment, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and onboarding—and ensure compliance at every step.
In short, they can help you achieve your global hiring goals, without having all that compliance and legal responsibility on your shoulders.
Here are some common objections to prepare for:
💬 Insight from Erin Goodey, Director of People Services at Oyster: “You should definitely frame EORs as risk-mitigation partners. However, EORs don’t just manage compliance, they also help with equitable benefits, onboarding, termination processes, and local HR nuance. They are a powerful extension of the People team.”
Step 6: Build a scalable rollout strategy
Executives want to see a plan. Keep it clear, phased, and low-risk.
- Start with a pilot: Choose 1–2 countries tied to business goals, such as product support, market expansion, or follow-the-sun coverage. Limit hires (1–3) and gather insights.
- Choose a vetted EOR: Find one EOR partner that can help you hire in the countries you have prioritized. Look for an EOR that can manage more than just employment (onboarding, payroll, benefits) to get the full experience.
- Define ownership: Assign a lead or “owner” of the pilot project, as well as a cross-functional team (People, Legal, Finance).
- Measure success: Measure success through speed-to-hire, compliance confidence, positive new hire experience, and minimal disruption to internal workflows.
💡 Tip from Mona Grewal, International HR Business Partner at Oyster: Make sure to gather feedback, refine internal processes, and use learnings to inform the broader rollout.
Step 7: Structure your case for maximum impact
Organize your pitch around what matters to execs:
- Problem: Talent scarcity is slowing growth.
- Solution: Strategic global hiring via an EOR partner.
- ROI: Time-to-hire gains, cost savings, operational value.
- Risk management: EORs ensure compliance and reduce liability.
- Execution: Phased pilot with measurable milestones.
Persuasive metrics to include:
Global hiring: It’s your growth enabler
The most forward-thinking People leaders aren’t waiting to go global—they already are.
By tapping global talent markets, you’re not just filling roles. You’re building a business that’s more agile, innovative, and ready for what’s to come.
Get started by finding your EOR partner. Learn more about Oyster.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
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