China & the Importance of Mobile Users

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For companies looking to push their products and online services in China, a mobile app might be where they need to start thinking from — or at the very least, a public WeChat account.

Unlike countries in the West, internet users of China (and the emerging economies within the Asia-Pacific region, really) primarily get their first dose of internet through the mobile phone, instead of desktop. The convenience of the mobile phone, relatively cheaper costs as compared to a full PC set-up, have all led to these people spending their time online primarily through the mobile phone instead of desktop, with mobile-users far outnumbering desktop users. Hence the rise of mobile apps, and subsequently, “super apps”.

What are super apps? These are apps that have it all — applications like WeChat may start off with serving a singular purpose (like messaging) before evolving to include a wide variety of functions, such as mobile wallets, social media, and even hosting mini-programs for third parties. Instead of downloading multiple apps, users only need one app to do many things at once. Other examples include Alipay, Meituan (food delivery service app) and more.

Even international corporations like Starbucks have adapted to the usage of super apps in China; Starbucks has a mini-program within WeChat that allows customers to send their orders for takeaways. Beyond that, the advancement of mobile payment in China, with even road-side food hawkers having their own QR codes, has enabled lots of shopping and retail activity to take place through mobile too, with more than 90% of sales having taken place through mobile devices.

This paints quite a different image from Western countries, where mobile payment takeup rate may be still relatively low, and online purchases made through desktop sites instead of mobile.

It is evident by now that to get anywhere in China, a channel through the mobile phone is quintessential, seeing the importance of the mobile consumers base. Companies outside of China should rethink their methods of advertising in the West, and consider opening public accounts on WeChat, providing third party mini programs and more.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55929418

https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3044344/chinese-mobile-users-now-spend-over-6-hours-every-day-online-thats

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/blog/china-leads-rise-of-mobile-super-apps

Are Gig Economy Workers Here to Stay?

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Long story short, the rise of neoliberalism as an ideology has led to the rise of the gig economy that we know of today. But what is the gig economy about? What is it at its very core? And more importantly, is this a sustainable form of work, here to stay in the long run? 

The rapid developments in digital communication have led to companies being ran entirely on middle-man, third-party platforms. When we talk about the gig economy, the images of food delivery workers, freelancers and more come to mind. Although freelancers have always existed before this, the pandemic has further accelerated the growth of jobs in the gig economy, with many people taking up jobs delivering food. 

Gig work can be classified according to two factors: skill level and location, thus four types overall: high skill + remote work, high skill + local work, low skill + remote work, and low skill + local work, according to Vallas & Schor. The most popular gig jobs these days, such as being a food delivery driver, is “low skill + local work”, thus many reasons why many have taken up these jobs. 

For single mothers or married women with children, they require greater flexibility in working schedules as they still have to balance childcare/caregiving, with most working women in Singapore generally having to struggle with both.  

For people with lower education, they usually do not have skills applicable for work of higher pay such as white-collar work, and to learn those skills required along with certification to deem them qualified require large amounts of money, which is what they do not have. They are thus restricted to lower paying, lower barriers to entry jobs.  

Racial and ethnic minorities do suffer in finding work in Singapore as well. In lieu of the above, gig work seems tempting: it offers a flexible schedule, it has generally lower barriers to entry, and anyone can be a Grabfood rider regardless of their race and ethnicity. The ubiquity of the internet on the phone allows anyone to join, again emphasising lower barriers to entry. 

It seems to paint a beautiful outlook for people attempting to earn more money, but is gig work as good as it seems? 

The truth about gig work and the gig economy is that it is precarious. Workers receive less legal benefits and rights from employers, as they are not classified as regular employees in the eyes of the law, rather, they are classified as “independent contractors”. In cases of countries like the US, the fight to redefine the rights the gig workers are entitled to – especially in states more focused on the protection of labour rights – emphasises the vulnerability that the workers experience. Rights and benefits a regular employee receives include paid sick leave (though very limited in number), company-sponsored skills upgrading, health insurance, and in Singapore’s case, the Central Provident Fund (CPF). They are also not protected from suddenly losing their jobs, and are very susceptible to changes in demands. For example, during Circuit Breaker last year, Grab drivers who ferry people saw a drop in their business as people avoided leaving the house as much as possible. Still, while one could point out that at the very same time food delivery services (which engage mostly gig workers) flourished at that time, one should also note that this is at an expense to their health, as they are at higher risk of being exposed to an infected person as compared to white collars who get to work entirely from home. 

There is also the fact that supply far outweighs demand in labour for the gig economy — negotiation for better prices and conditions is hard when there are always people too happy to take your place if you do not offer a lower rate, or work for lower pay, thus resulting in a downward pressure spiral on wages. 

In the long run, the lack of career progression coupled with the lack of safety nets and job security do not bode well for the future. For workers with low education levels, they lack opportunities to upgrade their skills through gig work, nor do they have companies that will provide the avenue to do so. As such, though they may be able to afford slightly nicer meals every once in a while, they are stuck doing the same low level gig work again and again. 

On the companies’ side, companies like Grab are still making losses, despite the massive volume of transactions the platform handles daily, be it through food delivery or riding services. It is still making a net loss of several hundred million, even at this stage where it’s practically a household name. Even internationally-known companies in the states like Lyft are also making losses — so really, how long can the gig economy bubble last?  

Overall, while the gig economy may be flourishing as of now, it is hard to say that this form of work will remain sustainable and profitable for both sides in the long run. 

References:  

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/grab-q2-2021-results-grabkitchen-deliveries-payments-2175591

https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/business/famous-companies-arent-profitable/

Covid-19 the Cause Behind Largest Fall in Employment Rate in Singapore

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According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the impact Covid-19 has on employment in Singapore far surpasses more than any other crisis in history, such as SARs and even the Asian Financial Crisis. 

This is because the impact of covid-19 comes in five different transmission channels, each dealing blows to the market in their own ways. 
 

The first would be the fall in international air visitors and air arrivals, affecting the aviation industry as well as tourism. 2020 saw an 85.7% drop in visitors’ arrivals as compared to 2019, due to global travel restrictions as well as border closures. In fact, most of the arrivals were concentrated largely within the first two months too, before Singapore proceeded to go into lockdown in March. As such, the aviation industry was severely affected, with Singapore Airlines (SIA) severely affected with a 98% drop in passenger travel as well as net loss of 4.27bn SGD. While other countries such as China and the USA could rely on domestic travel for recovery later on, Singapore could only rely on border reopenings as an international hub. As for the tourist industry, they had to innovate and attempt to appeal towards local residents in an attempt to reap profits from domestic tourism instead. 

In addition, the consumers-related sectors such as Food and Beverages (F&B) and services like retail are also severely impacted. Retail sales, excluding motor vehicle sales, fell by 15%. F&B sales saw a fall in sales by 26%, which marked the worst performance seen since 1986. The situation was even worse during the most severe period, the first circuit breaker when dining in was not allowed at all, with retail and F&B sales falling nearly by half. Fortunately, the rise in delivery services and eateries who were able to adapt managed to stay afloat. Physical retail stores who have successfully transitioned into offering online shopping services also found themselves staying afloat. Still, a large part of the Singaporean consumer’s pastime, aka going to the malls for food and retail, has been irreversibly changed. 

Weak external demand, as well as supply chain disruptions (which continues even today) has resulted in sectors like wholesale trade and water transport being affected too. However, it does seem to be on a road to recovery, judging by recent news of export growth rates “exploding” in 2021. 

Spillover from the slowdown of domestic economic activity has affected certain sectors in more subtle ways, with the real estate sector seeing a decrease in demand. Interestingly, the pandemic has also caused a surge in demand for life insurance, as people start to consider buying protection for themselves and their loved ones. 

Lastly, restrictions on travel as well as fall in demand across several sectors like real estate has led to a crunch in manpower, especially in foreign labour-heavy industries like construction and marine. The spread of Covid-19 in workers’ dormitories was one of such disruption, with not only economic activity decreasing, but issues like visas expiring presented further complications too. 

Overall, the most severely impacted industry in terms of employment is F&B, with a fall of 21,100 people in employment, followed by wholesale trade. However, other sectors like information and communications as well as finance and insurance saw a growth instead. 

References: 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/jobs/covid-19-drove-unprecedented-drop-of-196400-in-singapore-employment-services-hardest  https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/consumer/27-million-visitors-in-singapore-in-2020-lowest-in-four-decades-due-to-covid-19 

https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/covid-impact-singapore-airlines-report-record-full-year-loss-of-3-21-bn-121052400109_1.html

https://www.singstat.gov.sg/-/media/files/publications/industry/ssn121-pg1-5.pdf

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-on-track-for-highest-export-growth-in-a-decade-in-2021

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-insurance-products-demand-long-term-impact-policies-352651

Innovation in HR: A pandemic necessity

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Covid-19 has definitely revolutionized the way we know work to be; from meetings to Zoom calls, from an office job to working from home, and so many more transformations that we have to keep ourselves on our toes to adapt to. This disruption has forced the world to be on a desperate lookout for solutions that can allow businesses to continue being sustainable and productive through this fight for a new normal. 

To keep workforces engaged through the screens, companies have taken to innovative measures in order to boost the morale of their employees and manage the sluggish effects of working from home. Gamification in HR is the new player in town. In essence, gamification in businesses mean employing game like tools to strategically aggregate certain business processes. 

Today, gamification strategies are now employed in many aspects of a business, be it externally like attracting clients, or even internally within the talent management scene. One of the most common gamifications seen in businesses are applied in their training and re-skilling processes. Through such interactive measures like employing challenges, point systems, and luring rewards, this fun element introduced into a supposedly mundane task can prove to reap great metrics like increased participation rates, greater happiness, ultimately boosting the productivity of the employee.  

In recruitment, there are businesses who utilize gamification strategies to engage candidates and assess their competency through digital game tools. Companies like Google and Unilever have developed a system that incorporates games into the recruitment process. Instead of going through piles of resumes and structured interviews, such methods can break away from the conventional routine and introduce an unbiased system that can genuinely access candidates’ abilities and thought process. 

Undoubtedly, such digital strategies will still be unable to replace that human connection and engagement that this pandemic has starved businesses of. However, such innovations will pave the way towards an engaged workforce during such disconnected times. Businesses should strive towards understanding that proactive measures should be taken to help their employees get through these times instead of through any negative reinforcements.  

References: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/07/03/combining-gamification-and-human-resources-during-a-pandemic/?sh=6a92c88d577b

Malaysia: Advancing towards gender equality

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As the society pivots towards an environment where females are recognized as equals to their male counterparts, the topic of gender equality has never been more relevant. In all levels within the society, removing barriers that oppresses women from their rights is a crucial movement that should be enforced across the world. 

The world has made considerable progress towards achieving gender equality, but despite progress made under the UN Millennium Development Goals, women are still facing the same issue across the labour markets around the world. In some parts of the world, there are laws that prevent women from working in certain jobs. Even if women get jobs, they face further obstacles such as the gender pay gap, pregnancy discrimination, and the list goes on. In essence, merely having employment opportunities is not enough to truly remove barriers for women. 

Taking a look at Malaysia, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) released a report called Statistics on Women Empowerment in Selected Domains, Malaysia, 2021. Malaysia has expressly pledged their commitment towards promoting and achieving gender equality. Along with the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, there are policies that are aimed towards promoting equal employment opportunities for women. According to the Statistics on Women Empowerment in Selected Domains, the report showed that the overall gender equality in Malaysia has improved from 70.9% to 71.4% in 2020. The top three states that recorded the highest scores were W.P. Kuala Lumpur (85.3%), W.P. Putrajaya (79.3%) and Perlis (78.2%). 

It might be slightly bizarre to quantify gender equality, but these figures are presented through the Malaysia Gender Gap Index (MGGI) score. Essentially, the MGGI score identifies the gap across 4 key areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival as well as political empowerment. Based on the MGGI 2020 score, Malaysia currently ranks 74th among 156 countries around the world, and is also behind Singapore. 

Evidently, there is still lots of room for improvement in order for Malaysia to attain gender equality. This climb towards ensuring a level playing field for women is not an easy one, but it is a necessary fight. As long as there are continuous efforts from the government to prioritise this movement, gender equality need not be a faraway dream.   

References: 

https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=444&bul_id=eHMrcHQ4V1Irc0lRN0ZwM09TWDJvQT09&menu_id=L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09

Malaysia: Creating job opportunities as the way forward

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Themed “Malaysian Family, Prosperous and Peaceful”, Malaysia’s Budget 2022 reflects an inclusive approach to focus on economic recovery and building national resilience. It is said to be in line with the policies and strategies outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan, with RM233.5 billion allocated for operating expenditure, RM75.6 billion for development and RM23 billion to the country’s Covid-19 fund. 

With that, the nation’s recovery strategy is laser focused on creating job opportunities and providing extra support in promoting employment. Acknowledging the severe impact of Covid-19, an allocation of RM2 billion will be set aside under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia initiative. This is to incentivize the hiring of those unemployed, as well as providing wage subsidies for employers who hire targeted groups of Malaysians.  

Specifically, for employers who hire Malaysians that have not been actively employed in jobs with a salary of RM1500 and above, they can receive wage subsidies of up to 20 percent of the monthly salary for the first 6 months. Subsequently, an additional 30 percent wage subsidy will be presented for another 6 months.  

For employers who provide employment opportunities for Malaysians categorized as disabled or are ex-convicts, employers will receive an additional 10% in wage subsidies of the monthly salary for jobs with a salary of RM1200 and above. Another notable positive move is extending this initiative to women who have been unemployed for more than 365 days, single mothers and housewives. All these efforts are to boost Malaysia’s employment opportunities for their citizens. Under the Jarmin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia initiative, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced that approximately 600,000 job opportunities will be created in the process. 

With this hiring initiative, the Malaysia Budget 2022 aims to help Malaysian citizens in the transition back into the workforce. At the same time, this assists businesses in their search for talent.  

References: 

https://www.pwc.com/my/en/issues/budget2022.html

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/740880/600000-jobs-under-jaminkerja-initiative-nsttv

Singapore: A fertile land for startups

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As the global economy moves towards gradual recovery, the business landscape is seeing more opportunities for growth. Despite the high levels of uncertainty during this pandemic, there is a notable surge in the launch of new startups taking advantage of changing consumer preferences. This growth momentum can be seen inching towards the tech industry, boosting more tech activity in Southeast Asia. The internet and digitalization has never been more relevant, and this is all shaped by the impacts of Covid-19. 

So, is Singapore a good environment to start a new business? According to money.co.uk, Singapore ranks as the 12th best city to launch a startup, clinching a score of 56.8 out of 100, compared to the top ranked city; Copenhagen, Denmark at 77.7. The calculations of these scores were determined through these 8 factors that influence the affordability and appeal of setting up a business in that location: 

  1. Business registration fees 
  1. Corporate tax rates 
  1. Employer social security rates 
  1. Number of coffee shops per resident 
  1. Average broadband download speed (Mbps) 
  1. The cost of renting one desk in a co-working space 
  1. Percentage of students 
  1. The city’s highest university ranking on the ‘Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2022’ 

Specifically in the tech landscape, Singapore emerges as the top country in KPMG’s 2021 global ranking of leading technology hubs outside of Silicon Valley/San Francisco. With Singapore’s high internet penetration coupled with relatively ‘low’ corporation tax and business registration rates, the city state seems to boast a conducive environment for startups to grow. 

This year, Singapore remains as the top destination in Southeast Asia for startup investments. Enterprise Singapore Chairman Peter Ong said that approximately SGD11.2 billion was raised during the first 9 months of 2021, which is more than double of the amount raised in the whole of 2020. The startup ecosystem in this small city is booming, and ESG’s investment arm – Seeds Capital – is looking to appoint 13 new venture capital firms as co-investment partners to continue supporting the growth of Singapore’s startup ecosystem.  

Undoubtedly, despite the positive outlook in the environment for startups, the common challenges that startups face continue to pose a threat to the survival of these new businesses. Finding the right talent to nurture and grow the business is one of the top hurdles that challenge startups’ survival. With time being such a precious currency for startups, it is crucial for them to formulate strategies that can get them connected with the right talents.  

References: 

https://www.money.co.uk/business-loans/startup-cities

https://home.kpmg/sg/en/home/media/press-releases/2021/07/singapore-tops-2021-ranking-for-leading-technology-innovation-hubs-kpmg-survey.html

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/garage/switch-2021/singapore-based-startups-raise-s112b-in-9m-2021-more-than-double-the-whole-of

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/singapores-tech-start-ups-raised-53b-in-first-half-of-2021-up-from-34b-in-2020

Singapore: Policy changes to Singapore’s retirement and re-employment age & CPF

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With Singapore seeing an increase in seniors aged 55 years and above within the resident labour force, there have been debates centered around statutory retirement age, CPF contributions et cetera, to extend support for these seniors to continue working to be more financially independent.  

On November 2nd, there were two key Bills that were passed in Singapore’s Parliament. These Bills surround amendments to the Retirement and Re-Employment age, as well as the CPF Act.  

Specifically, what do the main changes entail? 

  1. The retirement and re-employment age for Singapore workers will be progressively raised to 65 and 70 respectively, up from 62 and 67 currently. This process will start from 1st July 2022, with the retirement age being raised to 63 and the re-employment age to 68. 
  1. In line with this increase, the CPF contribution rate for senior workers aged above 55 to 70 years old will also be increased by 2 percentage points starting from 1st January 2022. This change was deferred for a year in light of the impacts of pandemic on businesses.  

According to the speech by Singapore’s Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng, these two Bills would help Singaporeans better prepare for their retirement. With the increase in retirement and re-employment age, it introduces more flexibility for Singaporeans to work longer if they wish to. Not only that, with some amendments towards the process of payouts and contributions, it is now a more efficient process for Singaporeans to receive retirement payouts and navigate through their retirement journey with CPF. 

Despite the changes in the statutory retirement and re-employment ages, there remains no changes to the CPF withdrawal policies or ages.  

What does this mean for employers? 

Employers are recommended to make changes around their current processes to encourage a more age-friendly workplace. With more seniors being part of the workforce, it is vital for employers to join hands to support this movement towards an inclusive workforce. Employers should consider redesigning policies, jobs and trainings to provide an environment that help seniors remain employable and allow them to better adapt and contribute their strengths the best they can. 

Articles referenced: 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/retirement-and-re-employment-ages-will-be-raised-to-65-and-70

https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/national-day-rally-2019-retirement-age-to-go-up-to-65-older-workers-cpf-rates-to-be-raised

Singapore: Vaccination status as the new hiring requirement

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Almost 2 years of living in this Covid-19 pandemic, we have all heard about it. How this pandemic has devastated economies, damaged industries, employment prospects, and even radically transformed the way we work. Here we are today, having a grasp of living with the pandemic. Vaccines have already been developed, people are going through hybrid work arrangements, and even travel is slowly opening up and picking its pace. We are all flowing with the rhythm, adjusting to the changes as it comes.  

In Singapore, the healing process has begun since the start of 2021. As the labour market takes slow and steady steps towards recovery, there are already some encouraging signs within Singapore’s employment scene. In a recent survey, the net employment outlook – a metric to gauge expected increase in employment levels – reflected a 15% increase, which is the highest Singapore has seen in 6 years. Despite the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Singapore, hiring activity has reached an all-time high. However, a rising trend in recruitment now is the contentious topic of including vaccination requirement as a hiring requirement. 

The premise of setting a vaccine mandate is largely to promote the safety and well-being of employees, especially for those who have to return on-site. However, to companies that are struggling with hiring and retention challenges, these additional requirements can pose a new hurdle to cross. Although Singapore’s vaccination levels are considerably high with over 80% of the population already being fully vaccinated, employers must not neglect the fact that there are employees with underlying medical conditions, pregnancy-related reasons, or even religious beliefs that do not allow them to be vaccinated. This is why the vaccination mandate can get tricky, because it can escalate to a case of discrimination if it is not handled reasonably.  

Covid-19 vaccination in the workplace 

On this topic, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has offered some guidelines that employers can follow. In essence, reasonable accommodations must be undertaken for those employees with special considerations.  

Firstly, employers can only legally mandate vaccines with new hires if and only if all existing employees in the same role are also fully vaccinated. That means that employees have to enforce the same treatment with current employees before imposing this new requirement in their hiring practices. 

From 1 January 2022, unvaccinated employees will not be allowed at the workplace unless they have a negative Pre-Event Testing (PET) result. This cost is incurred at their own time and expense. For unvaccinated employees without special considerations, it is also up to the employers’ prerogative to allow them to continue working from home if the work is able to be performed at home. If however, the work is unable to be performed at home, employers can undertake some of these considerations:  

  1. Allow them to continue working with PET done at the employee’s own time and expense; or 
  1. Redeploy them to suitable jobs or roles that can be performed from home; or 
  1. Place them on no-pay leave or as a last resort, terminate them compliantly only if it is under the basis of their inability to be at the workplace to perform their contracted work dutifully. 

For unvaccinated employees with special considerations like certified medical reasons, they can be exempted from the workforce vaccination measures if they are unable to perform their work at home and redeployment of suitable jobs and roles is unavailable. In this case, employers should note that the absence of such employees from the workplace should not affect assessment of their work performance.  

Ultimately, as Singapore progresses towards an endemic, this topic of mandating vaccinations in the workplace will become more prominent. However, employers must carefully consider implementing any vaccination mandates in order to prevent any forms of discrimination. 

For more information with regards to MOM’s updated advisory, please refer to https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19/advisory-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-employment-settings. This article serves only as an extracted summary. 

Articles referenced: 

https://www.hcamag.com/asia/news/general/more-employers-in-singapore-mandate-vaccines-for-new-hires/313671

https://www.mom.gov.sg/covid-19/advisory-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-employment-settings

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-vaccine-unvaccinated-public-civil-servants-unpaid-leave-psd-2285751

Remote recruiting: Is it for everyone?

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Technology, the pandemic, the work-from-home arrangements, the pressure on businesses to transform their traditional working processes, and many other factors have shaped the world to look at remote working as the norm today. How did we get here? Remote hiring was not the go-to option 5 years back, but in less than a decade here we are today, accustomed to meetings that fit within a screen, and being decked in work appropriate wear on the top half and Pajamas on the bottom half.

All thanks to COVID-19 expediting this transformation towards remote working, it is apparent that remote working is here to stay. While this is a perk for many employees due to reasons such as flexibility and comfort, it also opens up a huge window of opportunity for businesses in terms of recruitment.  

This transition towards remote work means that businesses are no longer constrained by geographical boundaries. This is a major difference between remote recruiting and standard recruiting: the scaling of recruitment efforts into global markets. With working online becoming the norm, the whole process of recruitment from pre-screening to onboarding can now be done on a completely remote basis through technology. This means that businesses in industries with small talent pools can now expand their talent search and explore the talent pool from other countries.

While it can be such an advantage for businesses to hire a remote worker from another location, there is undoubtedly a caveat to it. Remote hiring is typically just an extension of your business team, which can be hard to manage given that the employee is situated in another geographical location. Because of that, remote employees do not enjoy the benefits that the local employees do, which covers national social contribution plans benefits, or medical insurance benefits. This could make working for your company less attractive. On top of that, the concern of disconnection and misalignment can prove to be challenging when you are managing employees from oceans away.

Another remote recruitment method similar to remote hiring is offshore hiring. The difference is that you hire the remote employee through an offshore hiring company, where they provide candidates tailored to your company’s needs. Not only that, the offshore hiring company will also provide local labour benefits from their entity, as well as manage them at their dedicated workspace. This is a popular method for companies who are looking at global markets but want to minimize the risks and uncertainty that direct remote recruitment might bear.

Ultimately, different companies have different recruitment needs and preferences. With remote work being the norm today, companies have more options to explore in their search of the perfect candidate. Our verdict is that remote recruitment might not suit every type of business, but it might be viable for businesses looking for short term projects or freelance work. As for a longer term project and commitment where close management of the employee is needed, employing an offshore hiring company can reduce uncertainties and yield better results compared to direct remote recruitment.