Employers double down on global hiring as domestic pressures rise

UK employers are leading a sharp global shift towards borderless hiring as wage inflation, skills shortages and regulatory hurdles make domestic recruitment increasingly difficult.

New research from Pebl finds that 86% of HR and finance leaders plan to expand hiring abroad within two years and almost half (48%) expect international workers to make up at least half their workforce by 2027.

Francoise Brougher, CEO of Pebl, said: ‘The era of domestic-first hiring is over. Companies that don’t build borderless teams will fall behind. Wage inflation, AI skill scarcity and regulatory complexity are all making it difficult for companies to hit their growth goals. The smart ones are looking for talent worldwide.’

UK firms outpacing Europe and the US

While hiring is going global everywhere, the UK is accelerating fastest.

• 38% of UK companies are already ramping up global recruitment
• This is expected to rise to 85% within two years
• In the US, 46% of companies are expanding global hiring now, rising to 69% within two years
• In Germany, 43% are doing so today, increasing to 63% over the same period

UK leaders say wage pressures and the AI talent gap are the main factors pushing them to look abroad, combined with easier access to remote and platform-enabled employment options.

Wage inflation and bureaucracy drive hiring abroad

Wage increases and complex regulation are sending more jobs overseas.

• 61% of US leaders say wage inflation is forcing a move towards distributed models
• 28% of US firms cite visa delays as a key factor, compared with 18% in the UK and Germany
• 87% of firms overall agree that hiring abroad makes sound economic sense

In the US, proposed visa fee increases are expected to further accelerate the shift towards visa-free offshore hiring, with employers citing rising sponsorship costs as a major deterrent.

AI is reshaping workforce strategy

Artificial intelligence is also transforming how organisations plan and deploy their workforces.

• 52% of companies are reskilling or upskilling staff to work with AI
• 51% are hiring AI-skilled talent both at home and overseas
• 41% are redesigning roles to become AI-augmented

Mid-sized enterprises with 500 to 999 employees are moving fastest, hiring AI-skilled professionals in global markets at 46%, compared with 28% for smaller firms. US companies are sourcing AI talent mainly from Southeast Asia, Latin America and Western Europe.

Bureaucracy is the new border wall

Despite enthusiasm for borderless hiring, regulatory and compliance challenges remain widespread.

• 87% of firms have held back from entering a new market due to red tape
• 57% of German leaders name regulatory unpredictability as their biggest barrier, compared with 47% in the UK and 42% in the US
• 32% of respondents said their organisations still need support to scale distributed teams effectively

About the survey

The findings are based on Pebl’s inaugural Global Hiring Survey, conducted by Researchscape International between 29 July and 20 August 2025. The survey polled 423 HR and finance directors in the US, UK and Germany working for mid-sized firms with between 100 and 999 employees.