Singaporean companies are increasingly looking abroad to scale their workforce as local talent shortages persist. According to Remote’s Global Workforce Report 2025, 76 per cent of HR leaders in Singapore expect that over half of their new hires in 2026 will be based overseas, a sharp shift that signals global hiring has moved from opportunistic to strategic.
The report, released on October 9 by global HR tech firm Remote, is based on insights from more than 3,600 business leaders across 10 countries. The findings spotlight how Singapore-based companies, particularly mid-sized ones, rapidly adopt cross-border hiring to tap into new markets and talent pools.
The trend is not just speculative. In the past six months, nearly half (49 per cent) of new hires by Singapore companies were in international roles. That momentum is expected to continue, with projections that 40 per cent of new positions will be filled abroad over the next six months.
Singapore companies now employ talent in an average of three or more countries, and this number is poised to grow by 2026. With homegrown talent pipelines unable to meet demand, international expansion is no longer just about market access but about survival.
While the benefits of a global workforce are clear, managing one is proving increasingly difficult for lean HR teams. In Singapore, most HR departments have five or fewer staff, yet their responsibilities span continents and regulatory environments.
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Key challenges flagged by respondents include managing multiple HR systems (24 per cent), misclassification risks (24 per cent), and ensuring a consistent employee experience (26 per cent). Perhaps most pressing: 66 per cent of Singapore firms report facing compliance issues when hiring abroad, with each incident costing upwards of US$36,200 on average. Additionally, 29 per cent said they’ve been unable to enter a new market due to onboarding challenges.
To cope with rising complexity, HR leaders are turning to technology. Over half (51 per cent) of Singapore HR leaders are actively seeking an all-in-one solution to manage global payroll, compliance, and reporting. The shift toward integrated platforms and AI-driven systems marks a turning point in managing global workforces.
“The first wave of technology in HR made it possible to hire globally. The next wave is transforming how those teams are managed,” said Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder of Remote. “AI is becoming the operating system for companies’ global workforce.”
Singapore’s pivot toward international hiring is aligned with a broader trend across the Asia Pacific region. South Korea, like Singapore, shows strong momentum among mid-sized firms, while Australia lags in global hiring appetite. This divergence suggests differing levels of readiness and regulatory complexity within the region.
With Singapore positioning itself as a global business hub, its companies are leading by example in demonstrating how nimble hiring strategies and the right technology stack can enable efficient cross-border growth.
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