Safeguard Global: 57% of Workers Would Work Remotely for an Overseas Company

Safeguard Global, an employer of record provider, published a survey on 12 November finding that 57% of US and UK workers are willing to work remotely for an overseas company, and 42% would consider moving abroad for a role. The report draws on 1,268 working adults within a Dynata survey of 2,000 respondents commissioned by Safeguard Global.

What workers want settled first

At least 85% of workers said they were concerned about an overseas employer’s ability to correctly handle tax deductions, provide employment protections comparable to a domestic company’s, and provide job security. For a remote role, 47% ranked a higher salary well above other enticements. For relocation, 58% would require the employer to pay moving expenses and 57% would want it to handle visa and immigration issues. Nearly three in five (59%) would only accept an overseas job if there were no active or recent geopolitical crises in the area.

How it lines up with the CFO side

Safeguard Global’s August report, which surveyed 400 CFOs in the US and UK, found 96% believe their company is prepared to hire workers globally. The same report found just 22% had plans to hire globally in the next six months, and every CFO surveyed said their organisation had suffered financial losses due to noncompliance when expanding globally. The two surveys put hesitation on both sides of a cross-border hire. Both come from a vendor that sells employer of record services, so the figures describe sentiment in its sample.

The HR takeaway

The worker concerns map to items an offer letter can answer: who withholds tax, which employment protections apply and what happens to the job if the employing entity changes. HR teams recruiting across borders can put those answers in the first offer, whether they hire directly or through an employer of record such as WorkMotion, which Upwork’s Lifted acquired for about $129.7 million. Budget for the salary premium belongs in the plan from the start, alongside a backfill line for global hiring plans.

Source: Safeguard Global, Safeguard Global (August CFO report)