11 Global Recruitment Challenges and How to Tackle Them

03.11.23 08:25 AM Comment(s) By admin System

Gone are the days when organisations had to settle for local candidates even though they lacked the required skill sets. Thanks to the rapid evolution of technology, recruiting global candidates has become much easier now. Hiring international candidates serves as a strategic necessity for many organisations while they deal with talent scarcity and skill shortages in their local labour market. However, organisations may have to face certain international recruitment challenges in their hunt for top talent. In this blog, we’ll break down 11 challenges that you might face as an Australian employer and how to tackle them.

1. LABOUR LAWS AND REGULATIONS
Every country has its own labour laws and regulations. While hiring globally, employers should ensure that they comply with these laws, the country they are hiring from and the country their office is located. You should thoroughly research international employment laws and contract stipulations to carry out a compliant recruitment process. 

Australia’s labour laws, for example, have undergone significant changes this year such as updates to the Fair Work Act on fixed-term and minimum-term contracts. As an employer, you must comply with each and every regulation so that there is no hindrance in the process for your organisation, the candidate or any other stakeholder.

How do I tackle this challenge?
If you’re seeking global talent, then you should actively monitor the existing laws and any changes in labour law legislation in your country and the countries you wish to hire from. However, we suggest that you partner with legal advisors and global recruitment experts who will guide you in every step of the recruitment process, saving time and effort.
2. VISA CHOICES AND SPONSORSHIPS
Hiring international candidates comes with certain obligations for the employer. One of them is obtaining and maintaining work visas for foreign workers. It’s one of the biggest international recruitment challenges due to the administrative obstacles and legal complications involved. It’s a time-consuming process, especially if you’re hiring overseas talent for the first time.

How do I tackle this challenge?
Ensure that you’re well-acquainted with the immigration laws and visa options before starting your hiring campaign. Classify the recruits’ employment status appropriately. Take the help of legal entities and immigration specialists so that they can assist you with the necessary guidelines while sponsoring and hiring international candidates.
3. VARYING COMPENSATION STRUCTURES AND TAX COMPLIANCES
Every organisation tries to offer equitable and fair compensation and benefits to their employees. However, if you’re hiring someone globally, then navigating the salary structures can get a bit tricky. More so if you’re hiring foreign employees who will work from their own country but for your company based out of your country. To attract the right talent, you should ensure that you conform to the local standards and pay expectations. You might also need to incur a corporate tax liability if you don’t have business operations in the country where your virtual employees are citizens.

How do I tackle such hiring challenges?
Your HR team should conduct thorough market research about the compensation structures. If you’re hiring foreign workers virtually, then you should collaborate with a trustworthy Employer of Record (EOR) in the country you’re hiring from. Alternatively, you may set up a subsidiary in that country if you frequently hire their local talent or intend to do long-term business there.
4. SETTING UP A LOCAL ENTITY

As mentioned above, setting up a local entity can be the solution to hiring talent from a foreign country. However, the process is often time-consuming and expensive and requires a lot of local expertise.

 

How do I overcome this challenge?

Understand the local financial regulations, business laws and administrative procedures of the countries you want to hire from. Seek legal advice from qualified professionals before setting up subsidiaries in foreign countries. A better alternative is to have an Employer of Record in the region to hire internationally without much hassle.
5. DIFFERENT TIME ZONES

Communicating and coordinating with potential candidates who live at the other end of the world, across different time zones can be difficult. Rounds that include any test or assessment won’t be a big barrier in the recruitment process. However, hiring over the internet may not be the ideal choice for all stages of the interview. Some roles might specifically require the candidate to attend an in-person interview with the employer.

 

How do I tackle this challenge?

It’s ideal to have a structured hiring process for international candidates. Have face-to-face interviews instead of having the entire hiring process online to evaluate the candidates more efficiently. You should also consider partnering with local hiring agencies and employing an HR executive in the field.

6. STIFF COMPETITION FOR TOP TALENT

The search for top talent is pretty competitive in all industries. Skilled and qualified candidates are often approached by multiple organisations and get hired quickly. Both local and global companies pursue them, further increasing the competition.

 

How do I tackle this hiring challenge?

Tackling such international recruitment challenges requires you to be prompt and agile. Make your hiring process faster and consider the candidates’ schedules while conducting interviews and assessments. Doing so will decrease the chances of your potential employees looking for other opportunities and create a pleasant candidate experience.

7. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

International recruitment challenges aren’t limited to tax laws and visa applications. It also includes navigating cultural differences and accommodating diversity. Culture here refers to both social and work culture. Different countries have different cultures and working conditions. What is considered as professional in your country may not be deemed as professional in another country.

 

How do I tackle such hiring challenges?

You should acquaint your organisation with the culture and customs of your international employees. Investing in such cultural awareness will help your team build relationships and work more collaboratively and efficiently. 

8. TALENT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT

Talent acquisition and management can be especially challenging when you hire international candidates. Attracting and hiring talent from different cultural backgrounds and then managing them can become a daunting task if not undertaken with the right approach.


How do I overcome such hiring challenges?
Train your talent acquisition team for such challenges. Ensure that the team is sensitive towards the cultural nuances and diverse perspectives in the workplace.  Adapt your hiring process, if necessary, to the local workplace culture of the candidates.
9. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION

Employees who have relocated to be part of your organisation will often take time to adjust to the changes. They are experiencing everything new – the country, the culture, the workplace and even the language sometimes. In such cases, employee engagement and retention become major challenges for employers.


How do I tackle such hiring challenges?
Your priority is to create a sense of belonging for your entire team. The foreign workers should feel as welcoming as the local employees. Raising awareness about their cultures, celebrating their festivals and providing them with necessary resources will make them feel that they’re part of their dream company. It will also increase employee engagement and retention. 
10. BRAND AWARENESS

Most employers start searching for global talent without a proper strategy or appropriate employer branding. As mentioned above, competition for skilled talent is quite high. A potential candidate has a higher chance of choosing a company she knows about rather than an organisation she has never heard of.

 

How do I tackle this challenge?

You must stand out to increase your visibility in the talent market. Raise your brand awareness, focus on making your organisation employee-centric, diverse and inclusive and make your existing employees your brand ambassadors.

11. FINDING THE RIGHT TOOLS AND PARTNERS

Using the right tools to hire may seem like a general recruitment challenge. However, the intensity of the challenge doubles when you’re seeking international candidates. For example, advertising the vacant positions on job portals that aren’t popular in your target talent’s country can undermine all your hiring efforts. Similarly, finding the right overseas hiring partners is equally important for successful hiring.


How do I overcome this challenge?

Technology can be leveraged to solve some of the international recruitment challenges. Finding apt hiring tools is one of them. Using the right job portals, applicant tracking systems and people management suites is essential. To fill the vacant positions in your organisation, hire qualified staffing agencies that will find, hire and manage the ideal candidates for you.

 ALL CHALLENGES CONSIDERED

You can overcome these international recruitment challenges easily by adopting a proactive and strategic approach. Stay up-to-date with emerging trends in the global recruitment landscape and seek professional help for a smooth recruitment process and positive candidate experience.

As global recruitment experts, we’ve helped multiple organisations resolve such challenges over the years. Contact us for comprehensive hiring solutions and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates and insights!

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