Global hiring data shows how tapping into different regions can improve access to specialized talent
Hiring across borders is like walking into an ice cream shop.
There’s nothing wrong with requesting three scoops of chocolate, if that’s your favorite flavor. It’s a classic for a reason, and perhaps a safer bet than mixing it up with a scoop of miso, matcha, banana curry or haggis…
But variety is the spice of life. It’s special to find an unexpected combination that tickles your taste buds and ticks all your boxes.
The safety of single-region hiring
Swap the gelataria for the global talent marketplace, and the logic is similar.
When employers plot their first hire across borders, the temptation is to KISS — not another HR-PR disaster waiting to happen; but to keep it simple, stupid.
The legal, technical, operational, and financial complexities of hiring in a new geography, mean that many employers opt to start by focusing on a single market.
A controlled pilot allows them to keep compliance risks under control, get used to the rhythm of running as a global business, and ensure barriers to exit remain relatively low, should circumstances change.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach as an initial step toward global expansion, or if the business case for cross-border talent is narrow.
However, newly published Talent Trends data from Multiplier reveals what can be gained by stepping away from the comfort of a single flavor, and tapping into the rich variety of multi-region hiring.
The spice of multi-region hiring
To understand global hiring patterns, we reviewed all cross-border employment contracts on Multiplier’s platform between July 2025 and June 2026, for the 20 largest global hiring markets by transaction volume.
The analysis indicates how extensively talent and hiring patterns vary, and why recruiting across multiple foreign markets can be so beneficial.
Take India and the Philippines, historically two of the most popular destinations for offshore hiring.
On the surface, there are similarities. Both APAC countries serve as execution hubs, where firms tend to hire and turn over junior talent at pace:
- Age: The median age of hires in the Philippines at 32, compared to 30 in India
- Hiring speed: A new hire in India goes from contract draft to first day in a median of 6 days; in Philippines, the median is 10 days
- Churn rate: 22% of hires in the Philippines are replacements, and 25% in India
One could easily assume that both regions offer relatively similar profiles of candidates and conditions for hiring, opting to pick just one location for expansion.
But there are also major differences between the two markets, and the specialized talent they can offer global employers.
India is an engineering hotbed, with 53% of all hires working in engineering and data, the largest function in that market. 63% of everyone hired in India works in some kind of technical role.
The Philippines, meanwhile, is a hub for customer support talent, with 25% of all hires working in this function. It is the only large hiring market where customer support is the biggest function.
Taking a multi-region approach and hiring in both markets means employers can enjoy the best of both worlds. A scaling start-up, for example, could leverage the Philippines to expand its operational capacity, while establishing a footprint into India to mature its core engineering architecture.
The value of variety
Further Talent Trends data analysis reveals other hotspots and the variety of talent on offer.
Perhaps the scaling start-up company also requires senior directors skilled in expansion, governance, and cross-regional leadership.
If it relied on a single-market approach, and was locked into hiring solely in the Philippines (where just 1.5% of hires are director-level), or India (4.8%), it may find it harder to secure the leadership oversight it needs.
Instead, it could also opt to hire in Singapore, where 31% of hires are director-level, taking advantage of the rich pool of executive talent.
If it needs to improve technical support for customers in EMEA, it could turn to the UK, where there is a thriving market for technology and IT recruitment. Or, for enhanced revenue building capabilities, to Germany, where global employers are accessing a deep pool of skilled sales professionals.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with choosing to focus on just one region. There are still talented customer service reps, company directors, and sales professionals throughout India, and sometimes (back to the gelateria), you’ve only got the money or appetite for a single scoop.
But a multi-region hiring strategy undoubtedly offers firms access to a greater variety and depth of talent, where different markets across the globe can be tapped for the strength, cost-effectiveness, or quantity of the talent on offer.
About Talent Trends
Learn more about Talent Trends, our data set, and full methodology & limitations, here.
