If you’re thinking of hiring internationally, you may consider working with a global employment agency. What kinds of services do these organizations provide, and what qualities should you look for when choosing one? Let’s take a closer look.
What is a global employment agency?
A global employment agency is a company that helps businesses hire staff or contractors from around the world. They aim to match hiring companies with the right talent to fill their open roles. They also provide services for job seekers, helping to place them in positions that match their professional profile.
When might you need a global employment agency?
Hiring in any market can be challenging for companies. Being in an information-rich age can be both an advantage and a challenge—although there are many ways to connect with potential hires, sifting through the vast number of candidates is impossible for any hiring manager to do alone. When you expand your hiring across borders, the pool of candidates becomes even larger—but with the benefit of introducing your company to varied skills, cultures, and perspectives.
What to look for in a global employment agency
Many growing organizations are turning to global employment agencies to recruit and onboard employees from across the globe without creating additional administrative burdens. It can reduce the workload for your HR team and other staff members, but only if you partner with the right organization. Below are seven essential qualities to look for when exploring international staffing agencies.
1. Expertise and experience
The best-rated global employment agencies have a proven track record of success. They should have expertise in international recruitment and be able to showcase how they’ve helped companies similar to yours accomplish their global hiring goals. Look for an agency with experience in your specific industry or target region. This will ensure that they have the know-how to navigate any unique challenges your business may encounter and will be able to find practical solutions for you.
2. Local compliance and legal knowledge
Hiring across borders is complex because each region has its own labor laws. A trustworthy global staffing agency will be well versed in the legal requirements for the region in which you’d like to hire, and can help you maintain compliance. They’ll be able to oversee contractual obligations, working hours, mandatory time off, and more to ensure that you’re practicing within the territory’s legal parameters.
3. Access to a global talent pool
Remote work has enabled worldwide hiring, so growing companies no longer have to stick to their native country when looking to expand their teams. An international staffing agency can connect you with a diverse and extensive talent pool across multiple countries. Since they have the right resources, connections, and experience, they can narrow the search to pair you with candidates with the necessary skills and cultural fit for your company.
4. Cultural understanding and localization
Each region has its unique cultural nuances. Understanding and celebrating these differences is essential to developing rapport with prospective hires. A global employment agency that has a deep understanding of cultural norms will be able to facilitate a seamless integration of international hires into your own company culture. Since these agencies are well connected in your target territory, they’ll have a localized approach. This can lead to better communication, productivity, and retention, so it’s a win-win for you and your employees.
5. Support and onboarding
Of course, the work doesn’t end once you’ve found the perfect fit for your organization. Onboarding can be a complex process of introducing your employee to their roles and responsibilities, as well as the company culture, strategy, and vision. Plus, you’ll need to get your new team member up to speed on your company’s systems and processes. This can be challenging for remote workers who can’t shadow other employees in person, but an agency can manage the process on your behalf. Worldwide staff solutions will onboard new hires for a smooth and seamless transition.
6. Transparent pricing and cost management
You’ll need to search for a global employment agency with fair and transparent pricing to ensure their services align with your budget. Search for the example pricing of employment agencies to get a ballpark idea of what to expect. Then review the pricing structure for any agencies you have in mind, checking for hidden fees and unexpected costs. Of course, remember that the cheapest isn’t always the best, and no matter how much you invest in an agency, they’re still likely to help you save by reducing the time and money you’d otherwise dedicate to managing the international hiring process in-house.
7. Client references and testimonials
A final but important factor is glowing recommendations from previous clients about employment agencies. Examples could include testimonials and success stories featured on the agency’s website itself or reviews on public forums like Google business listings. Look for details that establish the agency’s credibility, including positive outcomes they’ve delivered for other businesses. Some factors to consider are professionalism and time to fill, which measures how long it took them to provide candidates for open positions.
Is a global employment agency right for you?
Employment agencies aren’t the only global employment services to consider. There are several other worldwide staffing solutions you might want to look into as well.
Setting up an entity abroad
Setting up an entity abroad would allow you to hire employees directly from another country. Also known as establishing a local subsidiary, this process can be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive. Moreover, local subsidiaries only allow you to hire legally in the country where they’re located, so you’d need multiple subsidiaries if you plan to hire in different locations. Typically, it only makes sense to set up a subsidiary if your company has the time, resources, and legal counsel to navigate the process successfully and if you only plan on expanding to a single foreign country.
Employment of record (EOR)
An EOR is a third-party entity local to the territory you’d like to hire within. This organization takes complete responsibility for employment for another company. As such, companies that partner with EORs in other countries can hire people based on local laws and norms while minimizing their responsibility and risk. As with a subsidiary, however, you’d need multiple EORs if you plan to hire in different countries. Researching and vetting numerous EORs can quickly become demanding on company resources.
Global employment platform
A global employment platform is a single solution that enables you to easily take on teams from multiple countries. When your organization uses a global employment platform, there are virtually no limits on where you can hire. They either set up entities in multiple countries, leverage local partners from across the globe, or combine these two approaches. In doing so, they simplify global employment and enable streamlined hiring, onboarding, and payroll for new international team members. The platform also brings in-depth knowledge of local labor, tax, and payroll regulations, so you don’t have to waste valuable company resources to navigate tedious compliance matters.
How can Oyster help you hire globally?
Oyster’s global employment platform enables HR leaders to quickly attract, hire, onboard, and retain a distributed workforce. We minimize the administrative burden of international hiring and bring legal and financial expertise to the process, as well as extensive knowledge of local labor laws and cultural norms. This allows you to tap into a global talent pool to hire new employees or contractors with unique skills and backgrounds without worrying about payroll, taxes, and compliance headaches.
If you’re looking to grow your workforce and hire internationally with minimal complexity, turn to Oyster. Find out more about our global employment solutions.
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