Your Next Hire Might Not Be in Your Time Zone, And That’s a Good Thing
Why are we treating global hiring like it’s only for tech giants and Fortune 500s?
Probably because international hiring still feels terrifying to a lot of small businesses. 😫
I’ve seen founders spiral from “we found the perfect person!” to “do I need to open a legal entity in Ireland?” in under 48 hours.
Have you ever experienced anything like this?
You’ve finally found the perfect candidate. They have the skills. They have the experience. They even smiled at your corny jokes in the interview.
But then you realize…
They’re based somewhere in Spain, Brazil, or literally anywhere that isn’t on your payroll system!
And suddenly, what felt like a big win turns into a “WTF do I do now” moment.
If I had a dollar for every horror story I’ve heard about misclassifying contractors or racking up surprise compliance fines, I’d be writing this from a beach. Abroad.
(Where I’d legally be allowed to work.)
Here’s the thing, though: small businesses 100% can and should be hiring internationally, because talent is global! 🌎
The AI engineer you need? The niche growth marketer who actually gets your audience?
They might be in Amsterdam, Lisbon, or Manila. And the reality is, if you’re only looking within US borders, you’re probably shrinking your talent pool!!
But let’s not pretend it’s easy for small teams that don’t have in-house lawyers or time to read up on foreign employment law.
I mean, you’re probably already doing the jobs of five people and decoding tax treaties should not be one of them!
That’s exactly where Justworks comes in. They’ve built an EOR solution that’s specifically tailored to the chaos and constraints of small businesses.
They take the heavy stuff (think compliance, onboarding, payments, legal nuances) off your plate so you can hire globally without losing sleep or control.
There’s no one “right” way to go global, but there is an easier one.
And when you’ve got a team like Justworks in your corner, hiring internationally stops feeling like a liability and starts looking like your biggest growth move yet.
So let’s make the case for hiring internationally and how you can do it effectively!
“Wait, Can I Even Do This?”
Look, being a small business means you’re used to being scrappy, aka making magic out of duct tape and optimism.
But when it comes to hiring, there’s a limit to how far being scrappy gets you, especially when it comes to navigating international employment laws, tax treaties, and benefits packages in countries you’ve only visited on Instagram.
The best person for the job might end up living six time zones away, and that’s okay!
The roles you’re trying to fill like AI talent and specialized tech skills, for example, are increasingly hard to source locally.
In fact, a 2023 survey by ManpowerGroup found that 77% of employers globally reported difficulty finding the skilled talent they need, the highest in 17 years!!!
Yes, you read that right SEVENTEEN.
Hiring globally unlocks more than just great résumés.
It gives your team:
🌎 Access to specialized talent without borders
✨ Built-in time zone coverage, which means round-the-clock productivity
📈 Strategic growth without massive headcount costs
Most importantly? It makes your business future-ready.
Because the companies that figure this out now? They’ll be the ones leading the charge when the talent crunch really hits. (Hint: it already has.)
Why Does It Feel So Damn Complicated?
International hiring feels complicated because…it is.
But also, it shouldn’t be your job to become a part-time international labor attorney just to make a smart hire.
Most small business owners are already functioning as CEO, HR, IT, operations, and therapist.
You shouldn’t also have to decipher health benefit requirements in France or calculate payroll taxes in Australia!
It’s not just overwhelming, it’s a fast track to burnout or (worse) making legal mistakes you didn’t even know existed.
(Not so) fun fact:43% of global employers cite compliance as the biggest concern when hiring internationally.
Not lack of interest. Not cost. Biggest blocker.
Justworks exists to take that fear off your plate, which is why they’ve built an EOR and international contractor solution with small business chaos in mind, rather than the bloated systems designed for enterprise giants.
Here’s what you don’t have time for:
🚫 Comparing healthcare systems across borders
🚫 Managing six different vendors for onboarding and payroll
🚫 Keeping up with every country’s changing labor regulations
Here’s what Justworks does instead:
✅ Handles compliance, onboarding, and payroll
✅ Integrates international hires seamlessly with your US operations
✅ Helps you confidently hire wherever the best talent lives
And let’s keep it alllll the way real here: memorizing international labor law won’t win you any favors! You need the brainspace for something else…
So let Justworks be the expert, so you can be the wonderful People Leader you were hired to be!
Three Reasons to Start Hiring Globally Now, Not “Someday”
1. You’re Future-Proofing Your Business
Let’s not pretend work is getting simpler.
AI is evolving weekly, job roles are mutating like Pokémon, and remote collaboration is the norm, not some perk you can leverage in a job description that “makes you different.”
Companies that know how to operate globally are already five steps ahead, you know!
Small businesses that build global hiring into their DNA now will scale faster, adapt quicker, and attract top-tier talent while everyone else plays catch-up.
2. It’s Not as Expensive as You Think
“International hiring = $$$$$” is a myth we need to retire.
US-based salaries for specialized roles are skyrocketing, and benefits packages aren’t getting any cheaper.
In many cases, hiring internationally means you get the same (or better) skills for the same cost or in some situations even less!
And when you factor in Justworks doing the heavy lifting across sourcing, onboarding, and compliance?
That’s fewer tools, fewer errors, and fewer unexpected costs!
3. It Can Be Done in ONE Platform
One of my least favorite things is when I have to spend all day bopping from software to software. It’s frustrating to say the last and I’m always left wishing that everything could be done in one place.
You can manage your domestic and international employees IN THE SAME PLATFORM. There’s no need to go to another system to figure things out. Finally, all your employees in one place.
Global hiring shouldn’t add complexity, it’s about adding capability.
Ready to Make Your First (or Next) Global Hire?
You want to grow your team. You’ve found great people abroad.
But international hiring feels like a legal, financial, and logistical migraine you didn’t ask for.
And let’s be honest, when you’re running a lean team and literally can’t afford to waste time, even one misstep, like misclassifying a contractor or misunderstanding a local law, can mean fines, lost talent, or worse: lost momentum.
Every delay, every “we’ll circle back when we figure this out,” chips away at your growth. And you deserve to scale without the stress spiral.
That’s why Justworks exists. They’re not here to give you another dashboard to babysit or throw jargon at you.
They’re here to simplify everything, from hiring your first remote engineer in South America to scaling your marketing team across Europe, without surprise fees or legal rabbit holes.
Because going global shouldn’t mean going it alone. And with Justworks, you won’t!
And as much fun as I had spouting off random countries in this article, it’s time for you to spread your wings and fly, birdie!
Need a little more proof that this actually works? Check out Justworks’s latest webinar where two SMB leaders walked through how they’re leveraging global hiring—and how Justworks EOR makes it easy and exciting.
