When I was growing up, my father worked for a major international oil company.
We moved constantly — country to country, city to city — chasing wherever the work was. That was just the way things were back then.
Where you were born, where you lived, where you could commute to — those factors defined your career options.
Not anymore. In today’s world of work, the job comes to you.
I’m convinced that we’re in the middle of the most significant shift in how work gets done since the Industrial Revolution.
More than a trend, it’s a response to a crisis.
ManpowerGroup’s 2025 Talent Shortage Survey — our own research — reports that 74% of employers globally are struggling to find the skilled talent they need, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2014.
When employers aren’t able to fill critical roles locally, they have two choices: Either accept those limits or look elsewhere.
More than ever before, more companies (and job seekers) are choosing to look elsewhere.
From 2022 to ‘24, remote work went from being an emergency measure to a widely accepted practice, largely in response to the COVID crisis.
Building the kind of systems
Companies are now moving past the “remote-friendly” stage and building the kind of systems that are specifically designed to hire anyone from anywhere.
The borderless workplace has arrived, and it’s not going back.
More than 60% of multinational companies have already adopted some form of cross-border hiring, and those employment models are projected to grow another 35% by 2027.
Besides the U.S., more than 50 countries support cross-border hiring through what’s known as digital nomad programs that enable remote workers to travel, live abroad and work legally.
Governments want that talent and those taxes to stay inside their borders — even if the worker never sets foot in an office.
The theme running through all of this is simple: Skill matters more than location. Companies no longer ask, “Where are you?” before they ask, “What can you do?”
A software engineer in Guadalajara, a financial analyst in Krakow, a customer manager in Manila — they’re now in the same applicant pool as top candidates in San Diego.
It’s real, and pretending otherwise won’t help you.
At the same time, the freelance and gig economy is accelerating this further. Already, 28% of skilled workers are independent contractors.
Companies are building hybrid workforces that mix full-time employees, contractors and global specialists — pulling from wherever the right talent lives, on whatever terms make sense for the project.
But let’s be honest about the challenges.
Compliance is the biggest one.
Every country has its own labor laws, tax rules, termination procedures, and benefits requirements. Get it wrong, and you’re looking at legal exposure, financial penalties and reputational damage.
Payroll across multiple currencies and time zones can be a headache. And cultural differences — around hierarchy, communication, relationship-building — are friction points that aren’t easily overcome.
Workers have come to expect
On the bright side, the hundreds of maquiladoras along the U.S.-Mexico border are a prime example of what cross-border workers have come to expect — substantial benefit packages, transportation to and from work, meals, even medical care.
Global hiring done right means understanding what workers expect where they are, not just what’s standard where you are. Companies that don’t account for such benefits are in for a rude awakening.
While the competitive pool for your job may now include talented people in lower-cost-of-living countries, going global is a two-way street.
Huge international firms — British investment banks, Japanese conglomerates, Spanish retailers — also need the right talent at the right time, and they’re now willing to hire Americans for it.
If you have the right talent, the world just opened up to you.
Aside from pure knowledge and experience, the “soft skills” that are hardest to offshore are the same ones I’ve always told you matter most: communication, leadership, and judgment.
Build your network globally. Think about what you offer that is hard to replicate from 10,000 miles away.
Opportunity has gone global. So should you.
Blair is co-founder of Manpower West Staffing and can be reached at pblair@manpowerwest.com.