What is international recruitment?

International recruitment refers to recruiting talent from outside a company’s home country. You may choose this approach to fill specific roles, strengthen your teams or support business growth in new regions.

Why is international recruitment useful?

International recruitment offers several advantages for employers, such as:

• Access to new markets and customer insights: staff from different regions may provide first-hand knowledge of local preferences, purchasing behaviours and emerging trends. This insight could help organisations adapt products or services more effectively.
• Stronger employer brand: having an international workforce reinforces a company’s ability to manage operations across borders, which helps enhance credibility in global markets.
• Addressing skills gaps: for harder-to-fill positions requiring niche expertise or advanced digital skills, recruiting internationally widens the talent pool and increases the chances of finding qualified candidates.
• Productivity across time zones: with teams based in different parts of the world, projects can progress continuously as employees in later time zones take over from those finishing their day.

The international hiring and recruitment landscape

Indeed Hiring Lab data shows how labour market trends are shaping international recruitment. Employers facing skills shortages may increasingly look abroad to fill jobs.

How global trends affect international recruitment

Economic shifts and changing labour markets influence where candidates choose to look for work. For example, there is an increased interest in jobs in Ireland from overseas applicants, particularly from the US, with clicks on Irish job postings up by around 3% compared to 2024. Food preparation and service roles attract the largest share of this international interest, followed by administration and sales.

These regional insights highlight how global supply and demand affect candidate behaviour. Employers recruiting internationally may use such data to anticipate where interest could rise and to hone targeted recruitment strategies.

Why relocation may increase

Global uncertainty may encourage candidates to seek opportunities abroad, particularly with multinational companies that offer stability and competitive wages. Indeed Hiring Lab findings suggest the UK labour market remains resilient despite these challenges. Strong wage growth continues to attract overseas jobseekers, particularly when salaries in their home markets are less competitive.

Approaches to hiring international employees

You could structure international recruitment in several ways:

• Relocation: candidates move to the UK (or another host country) to work in a local office or branch
• Hybrid roles: staff work primarily remotely but attend in-person meetings at headquarters a few times a year
• Fully remote roles: employees remain based abroad and collaborate entirely through digital platforms

Choosing the right approach for your business

The best option depends on industry and job requirements. Sectors such as healthcare, retail and hospitality typically require employees to be onsite, while fields like science, law, technology, marketing and journalism often allow for more location flexibility.

Strategies for recruiting international employees

Employers may make international recruitment more effective by focusing on clear processes, compliance and candidate experience. The following strategies are practical steps for attracting and supporting global talent.

Identify which jobs you could fill internationally

A useful first step in international recruitment is to conduct a skills gap analysis. This helps employers identify which jobs are difficult to fill locally and where international talent could add value. Once critical roles are identified, businesses can assess how overseas candidates would fit into their teams and day-to-day operations.

UK government guidance states the following categories of jobs are generally eligible for sponsorship:

• Skilled workers, including executives, managers, engineers, IT specialists, healthcare professionals and higher education teaching staff
• Seasonal workers in horticulture or poultry production during peak periods
• Elite sportspersons and qualified coaches
• Creative workers
• Charity workers

Employers recruiting staff in these categories typically need a sponsor licence from the Home Office. This ensures compliance with UK law when recruiting staff from abroad.

Obtain a sponsor licence from the Home Office

In most cases, UK employers must hold a sponsor licence from the Home Office to recruit staff from abroad. This requirement applies to citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020, as well as to non-EEA nationals.

To qualify for a sponsor licence, you typically need to:

• Demonstrate that the business has no criminal convictions for immigration offences or other serious crimes such as fraud or money laundering
• Confirm that a sponsor licence has not been revoked in the past 12 months
• Show that the organisation is suitable for sponsorship under UK guidelines (covering skilled workers, healthcare, scale-up, seasonal, charity and other approved categories)
• Select the correct type of licence based on the jobs to be sponsored
• Apply online via the UK government website and pay the relevant fee, which varies by licence type and organisation size

Once approved, the licence allows employers to sponsor candidates for eligible jobs in line with UK immigration law.

Create a job description that appeals to international candidates

A clear and well-structured job description is essential for attracting overseas talent. In addition to the standard details such as salary, duties and responsibilities, you may consider including information that helps international candidates assess the role and its suitability. This may include:

• Any relocation package or visa sponsorship available
• Expected working hours and time zones
• Communication tools for collaboration (e.g. Slack, Microsoft Teams, email)
• Requirements to attend in-person or virtual meetings across different regions
• Location of the main office and whether remote or hybrid work is possible
• Competitive pay and how it compares to market benchmarks
• Benefits and perks relevant to international staff, such as healthcare or local gym memberships

By highlighting these factors, employers may make their job descriptions more transparent and appealing to global applicants, whilst also setting clear expectations from the outset.

Offer relocation assistance

Relocation can be one of the biggest barriers for international candidates. Employers who provide support help make jobs more attractive and ease the transition for new staff members. Assistance may include:

• Help with temporary or permanent housing
• Packing and moving services
• Visa and immigration support
• Language training or cultural orientation
• Guidance for family relocation, such as local childcare, schools and family-friendly areas

Relocation packages may be tailored to individual circumstances. Asking candidates what support would be most valuable helps ensure resources are used effectively. As relocation can be costly, many employers tend to reserve comprehensive packages for senior or specialist jobs that are otherwise difficult to fill.

Offer a strong pay package

A competitive pay package may help attract and retain international talent. Packages should reflect local labour laws and be fair across regions, whilst also recognising the additional challenges of working abroad. You may wish to consider:

• Researching and complying with local requirements regarding minimum wage, paid leave and pension contributions
• Ensuring pay equity and protecting against discrimination based on age, race, gender or other factors
• Including relocation assistance or an allowance as part of the package where relevant
• Offering benefits tailored to local needs, such as healthcare or gym memberships
• Developing a compensation budget that works for both your business and employees, taking into account exchange rates and other regional costs

By aligning pay and benefits with local conditions, you could create attractive packages that help secure top international candidates.

Use an international recruitment company

International recruitment companies specialise in sourcing talent from abroad and may be valuable partners for businesses looking to expand their workforce globally. Their services typically include:

• Managing relocation support on behalf of the employer
• Screening and shortlisting candidates
• Providing cultural integration support
• Handling logistics such as visas, payroll and compliance with UK or local employment laws

Types of international recruitment agencies

Recruitment providers vary widely. Some specialise in sectors such as IT, finance or healthcare, while boutique agencies may focus on executive or niche jobs that are hard to fill. Others offer broader services across multiple industries.

Pros and cons of international recruitment agencies

Working with a recruitment company could save you time and provide access to specialist expertise, particularly if your business doesn’t have in-house experience with relocation or cultural integration. However, these services can be expensive. For organisations only recruiting a small number of international employees, or those already managing the process effectively, using an agency may not be necessary.

Centralise employee data in one location

Managing international recruitment often involves handling large amounts of sensitive information. Using a centralised digital system to store candidate and employee data can help you:

• Simplify compliance: having a single system makes it easier to meet applicable local data protection rules, such as GDPR, and to monitor compliance across regions.
• Improve access: centralised storage provides a complete overview of candidate and employee data, regardless of location.
• Gain better insights: you and your team can compare recruitment metrics, such as retention, recruitment rates and regional trends, across countries. These insights support more targeted and effective recruitment strategies.

International recruitment can be highly effective for employers looking to reach specialised talent, reach new markets and increase productivity across different time zones. Howvever, to this, businesses need to make sure they have sponsored an employee in accordance with the Home Office’s rules. Additionally, in order to attract talent from abroad in a competitive global jobs market, consider offering perks like relocation packages, strong pay packages and enlisting the expertise of a specialist international recruitment company.