Here at Parasol, we know that the agencies we partner with are always looking for ways to get ahead of their competition, find the best talent, and match that talent to the most appropriate jobs.
As time goes on and employment becomes increasingly more global, recruiters and end clients alike might find themselves looking beyond their own countries to find great talent. While this might seem a daunting prospect, especially if you have never signed up overseas talent before, the reasons for at least considering doing so are well worth exploring. So today we are listing five key reasons why UK-based agencies should sign up international contractors.
1. Talent Shortages in the UK
We hear it all over the news: the UK is struggling with talent shortages. This isn’t to say that us humble UK dwellers are without talent – it just means that there are industries where the supply of skilled labour is falling well short of demand. According to Manpower Group’s Talent Shortage Survey 2024, 80% of organisations in the UK are struggling to find skilled talent (compared to 35% in 2019), with IT & Data and Administration/Office Support being the top skills employers report having the most difficulty finding.
While not all of the 1 million+ job vacancies currently in the UK can be filled by people not living here, there are plenty of instances among those vacancies where working remotely is possible, particularly in industries like Communications and IT. If somebody with the appropriate skillset cannot be found on home turf, expanding your search to other countries is a possibility well worth considering.
2. Access to Different Skills
As well as there being a plethora of talent in other countries for universal skills like general IT and communications, another unique benefit of sourcing talent from other countries are the unique skillsets that overseas workers might offer. For example, if you have end clients that do a lot of work with French or German businesses, and you need a contractor to do IT work, hiring somebody from France or Germany would mean that you also have somebody with language skills that might also benefit that end client.
3. Potential Business Savings
If we look away from purely aspirational advantages and delve more into the practical financial aspects of talent sourcing, hiring people is expensive. Oftentimes end clients will turn to contractors because they can be less expensive to hire than permanent employees for the specific work that’s needed. Here, the advantage of having contractors living overseas is obvious, as different countries have different pay requirements. So, if you source talent from countries with lower costs of living than the UK, you could potentially offer end clients contractors who will cost them less to take on than UK-based workers.
4. Access to New Networks/Regions
As the old saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. If you welcome contractors from other countries into your agency’s talent pool, there is a decent chance that they will know of other contractors wishing to sign up to a new recruitment agency, or businesses in their countries that might be seeking contractors. In short, signing on international talent could lead to further opportunity to expand your business to other countries.
5. Easier for End Clients
Some end clients might be looking to hire talent from specific foreign countries. Unfortunately, hiring overseas employees can be a serious hassle for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the bureaucratic nightmare that is organising payroll for overseas remote employees. As such, some end clients would rather bring in contractors from these countries, so payroll can be taken care of by the contractor/their agency, and all the end client has to do is pay the invoices they’re given. Having those contractors at the ready and available for end clients could save them a lot of hassle, which will surely also be an advantage for you, as a recruitment agency, in getting more business.
But signing on international contractors is difficult…
We hear you. While the advantages of signing on international contractors are undoubtedly there, it is equally true that signing them on isn’t without its pitfalls. Issues like various worker classification laws, differing tax laws, ensuring secure international payments, and language and cultural barriers all need to be considered when taking on overseas talent.
One way to make taking on overseas talent more accessible is to work with an umbrella company that has the facilities to look after contractors in multiple countries. We at Parasol are well-versed in looking after UK-based contractors, and we will soon be bringing in new services that will enable us to look after any international talent you might decide to sign up as well. With us at your side, you’ll be able to assign the most appropriate people to the most appropriate jobs regardless of the payroll/tax laws of where they live, safe in the knowledge that we’ll take care of those considerations for you.
Conclusion
Having international contractors in your talent pool can be an exciting opportunity for business growth if you’re a recruitment agency, but special considerations need to be made. Partnering up with an umbrella company that can look after those considerations for you will help, and Parasol will soon be able to do this. Stay tuned for more information.
