Going Global in 2025: Expert Insights From Deel’s Global Hiring Summit

Global hiring is typically restricted to companies that can afford to establish a legal presence and navigate complex tax and employment laws, which often gives larger companies an edge over smaller ones.

Smaller companies usually face difficulties in hiring full-time employees globally due to the high costs and complexities involved, leading them to opt for hiring independent contractors instead. This situation forces a trade-off between achieving global growth and maintaining hiring compliance.

In Deel’s 2024 Global Hiring Summit, legal and HR leaders and operators from Conibase, Wise, Orrick, Deel, Michael Page, Citi, and Hays share their expertise and insights on crucial aspects of global recruitment, employer branding, and employment law in an ever-changing legal landscape.

Watch the full summit here, or read on for the recap.

Coinbase’s global expansion journey

First to the stage was Michael Perry, Senior Manager on the Strategic Sourcing Team at Coinbase, discussing the critical role of an employer of record (EOR) in global expansion. He shared insights into the challenges Coinbase faced before partnering with Deel EOR.

Michael emphasized the importance of local expertise, stating, "...the most important piece is having those boots on the ground and someone who's knowledgeable of those local customs, regulations, restrictions and all of the nuances that go into a local authority."

He also highlighted how Deel provides the flexibility to manage a contingent workforce and offers a full-time experience to contractors, noting, "We had to find a partner that could do that for us so that we could offer that same full-time experience, even though they're not technically a full-time employee with us."

Michael outlined the initial steps in Coinbase's expansion strategy, which includes conducting market analysis and employing country managers familiar with local customs and regulations. He underscored the necessity of having a partner to handle payroll, benefits, and equity.

"If you're not sure you're going to start an entity, you have to have someone who can serve as that employer of record or agent of record, depending on which model you're going with."

He concluded by reflecting on past difficulties in securing an EOR and how Deel has streamlined this process: "Back in the day, we had to scramble to find an employee of record that could serve in these different locations, and luckily now we have Deel..."

The need for consolidation in global companies

Kobi Eldar, Head of Product, Payroll at Deel was up next to discuss the importance of consolidation for global companies. He explained that global companies require a unified system to manage services like payroll, benefits, HR, device procurement, and employee lifecycle management. He said, "a big need that we're seeing for global companies is the need for consolidation."

He noted that using multiple platforms, tools, and vendors across different localities leads to fragmentation, which increases complexity and the likelihood of errors. He explained, "So usually a very common scenario is where you have a lot of different platforms and tools and vendors that are being used across different localities."

The fragmented systems require significant effort and attention, leading to complexities and mistakes. "So basically it becomes a highly fragmented space where you need to take care of tons of moving pieces and assemble your own puzzle like that. That takes a lot of effort, a lot of mind-share, a lot of complexities, a lot of mistakes that are being done,” Kobi added.

The solution proposed is to consolidate all services into one platform, simplifying management and ensuring all services are available in one place. "And what we're trying to do at Deel is basically consolidate all of that into one platform. So you need one system that is enabling all of those services for those employees in one place,” he concluded.

How to unlock growth and simplify payments

Next up, Kate Welsh, Senior Director, Expansion Operations at Deel and Emanuela Saccarola, Global Cross Border Payments Head at Citi explored the intricacies and opportunities in managing cross-border payments for businesses with international operations.

Key challenges identified include navigating diverse markets, dealing with foreign exchange conversions, and adhering to local regulations. Emanuela points out, "the key challenge is really one word: complexities." She also discusses the industry's goal to enhance the speed, transparency, and cost-effectiveness of cross-border payments by 2027.

Kate stresses the critical role of data precision in international transactions, asserting, "Data is key and accuracy of data, especially when you pay internationally." She mentions that Deel supports over 10 payment methods, such as debit cards and foreign currency contracts, to meet various needs.

The session also highlighted the significance of technology in streamlining payment processes. Emanuela notes the use of APIs and artificial intelligence to offer a flexible payment experience, enabling employees to select their payment modes and timings. She explains, "The old concept of payment on demand is enabled by API integrations."

Regarding compliance, Emanuela advises companies to seek professional assistance, emphasizing, "You should not do that alone, for sure." She also underscores the importance of understanding and complying with local regulations through a local presence.

How to harness the global workforce and address talent shortages

Ruth, the Global Head of Client Development at Hayes, discussed disruptive trends in the future of the workforce during the summit. She pointed out several paradoxes in current workforce strategies, such as the simultaneous need for a global, flexible workforce and the challenges posed by talent shortages.

Ruth advocated for a skills-based hiring approach, highlighting its effectiveness with statistics. Organizations using this method are "107% more likely to be able to place their talent effectively" and "98% more likely to retain high performers and grow from within." She also emphasized the importance of strategic location planning to prevent recruiter overload and supplier disengagement.

Additionally, Ruth addressed the significant impact of AI and automation, predicting that these technologies will disrupt 66% of existing jobs and could lead to the loss of about 83 million jobs in the future. She stressed the necessity for organizations to adapt by investing in upskilling and reskilling initiatives to harness new technologies effectively. Lastly, she emphasized the critical need to preserve the human element in recruitment processes, cautioning, "We must make sure that we do not engineer the humanness out of recruitment."

Challenges and solutions in recruiting for a global workforce

Next on the agenda was the expert panel discussion. Laura Becking, Partner, Employment & Equity Compensation Lead at Orrick spoke first on the urgency of hiring talent from diverse locations quickly while ensuring legal compliance. She notes, "...there is this extremely large drive to talent outside of the large city centers... And there really is a desire to hire wherever that talent is and to hire very quickly. So I think any recruiting strategy needs to address that drive. And that's sort of where I sit, comes the legal piece, which then quickly means you have to address, OK, how do I do that legally?"

Jerome Leclerq, Global Head of Recruitment and Employer Branding, Wise emphasizes with this challenge, adding that effective recruitment in new markets requires thorough planning and understanding of local norms and regulations. "...the planning that comes before being able to hire quickly is actually quite critical... there's a ton of local market understanding to do before you can actually start hiring quickly in a new market, whether that's legislation or regulation, or even sometimes more and equally importantly, it's local cultural norms," he explains.

Andrea David Mieli, Senior Director, Legal, Deel agrees that balancing the need for rapid hiring with compliance in different jurisdictions is a significant challenge that he hopes Deel EOR can solve. He explains, "...we need to take care and we need to consider a lot of different rules, regulations all over the world. How does it match with speed? I mean, how do you balance compliance and speed in recruitment?" He goes on to explain that an Employer of Record can simplify the complexities of global employment. Adding, "...working with an employer of record, like Deel, Specialized in employment difficulties and employment challenges all over the world can help."

The panel session concluded with a discussion on how companies can ensure global compliance in an increasingly remote and hybrid work environment. Laura was first to speak on the subject. She gave her perspective on the varying preferences of workers. She said, "...we have a subset of the population that still is very much engaged with the idea of remote work and fully remote work. And I think we have another subset of the population that is sort of turning a little bit away from that, if you will, and looking for something probably more hybrid…"

When choosing between remote, hybrid, and onsite business models, Jerome emphasized the importance of adapting to local cultures and markets for effective recruitment strategies. He added, "...you've got to think about the localization for the individual. So, you know, what's going to be attractive to them? How do you know your message is going to land?"

Why Deel is the right EOR partner for you

From compliance and HRIS to PEO and payroll services, Deel offers the most complete global people platform on the market—and we’ve been where you are now.

Our platform was designed based on our experience as a global team, which means we know all the struggles of juggling multiple systems, inconsistent and incompatible data, lack of visibility, costly mistakes and compliance risks, prolonged and messy onboarding, and other obstacles inhibiting business growth.

Deel successfully tackles all these challenges, and we’ve got numbers to prove it:

• 100+ owned entities around the world
• 200+ in-house tax, payroll, and legal experts
• 15+ flexible payment methods
• Experience in running a global team of 3,000+ members distributed across 100 countries
• First response time of 1.25 min from our customer service available 24/7
• 86 hours saved by automated HR admin
• $210,000+ of entity set-up costs per country

See for yourself—book a demo with our team and ask all your questions.