Oyster's 2025 Global Hiring Report Reveals How the Expertise Economy is Reshaping the World of Work

Oyster®, the global employment solution to employ, pay, and care for distributed teams, today released its 2025 Global Hiring and Impact Report, offering a detailed look at trends reshaping the world of work. Most notably, the findings reveal a 46% increase in contractor engagements and 10x growth in consulting hires YoY—signaling a shift toward flexible, expertise-on-demand arrangements in global workforce planning.

"What we're witnessing is the emergence of an ‘Expertise Economy,’ and it’s a fundamental realignment of how companies and talent engage with each other," said Marina Farthouat, VP of People at Oyster. "Knowledge workers are increasingly defining their careers through expertise and meaningful projects rather than company loyalty, while organizations are building fluid, specialized teams that can adapt quickly to changing market demands."

Based on Oyster's platform data and a survey of over 500 HR leaders, the report indicates a new symbiotic relationship forming between companies and global talent. As businesses face economic uncertainty and shifting priorities, they're moving beyond simply changing where people work to reimagining how they engage talent altogether.

Additional key findings from Oyster’s 2025 Global Hiring and Impact Report include:

Where the World Is Hiring—and Why

In 2024, global companies turned to Oyster to hire in 110+ countries, targeting markets where specialized talent, time zone alignment, and operational readiness offered a competitive edge.

• By region, Europe was the top talent market with 43% of new hires on the platform, followed by Asia & the Middle East (24%), and North America (20%).
  • Of all new hires, more than half (54%) were hired by companies in the United States.
• Drilling down further, the top five hiring destinations with the highest volume of total new hires across all countries include:
  • Philippines (9%)
  • United States (8%)
  • India (7%)
  • Canada (6%)
  • United Kingdom (6%)
• The top five fastest-growing markets with the greatest increase in new hires YoY include:
  • Mexico (+136%)
  • Peru (+89%)
  • Switzerland (+88%)
  • Colombia (+68%)
  • Serbia (+43%)
• Roles in technology (35%), sales and marketing (12%), and administrative support (6%) dominate global hiring—especially in Asia and South America.

Flexibility First: Contract Work Surges as Hybrid Becomes the Norm

The rise in contract and consulting work reflects a broader movement toward workforce agility, driven by tighter budgets, ambitious revenue goals, and the growing appeal of flexible careers.

• Contractor engagements through Oyster rose 46% YoY while permanent hires declined by 2%, signaling a shift toward flexible, scalable workforce models.
• Consulting hires grew 10x YoY, likely due to the rising need for fractional, project-based, and on-demand expertise.
• Companies in the software & services (35%) and professional services (16%) industries led in remote hiring, as these sectors remain best suited for distributed team models.
• While return-to-office debates continue, hybrid work cemented itself as the new standard when it comes to worker preference and productivity. The majority of respondents (84%) in the survey reported that some or all of their employees work in a hybrid model.

"Companies are taking a deliberate approach to their global workforce composition, strategically designing teams that blend permanent roles in some regions with project-based contractor expertise in others,” said Erin Goodey, Director of People Services at Oyster. “The Philippines, India, and emerging markets across Latin America have become go-to destinations for specialized technology talent, while we see more sales and marketing roles distributed across Europe and North America. It's about having the right expertise in the right engagement model for each specific function."

Employers Signal Global Hiring Readiness + Confidence in Emerging Markets

Oyster’s mission is to create a more equal world by making it possible for companies everywhere to hire people anywhere. In 2024, 47% of new hires on the platform came from emerging markets, fueling broader economic impact and indicating an increasing trust in global talent pools. What’s more:

• While only 37% of companies’ first international hires were made in emerging markets, that number rose to 48% for subsequent hires.
• 57% of surveyed companies said they plan to hire international talent in the next 12 months.
• 67% of HR leaders said they are equipped to manage distributed teams.
• 56% of organizations have formal programs or training to support hybrid success—spanning cultural awareness, asynchronous collaboration, and time zone coordination.

“What's very interesting is how quickly companies adapt once they make that first global hire,” continued Farthouat. “Organizations that initially approach global hiring with caution quickly expand their footprint as they experience the value of specialized skills. Not long ago, building a global team was considered bold and forward-thinking. Now, it’s simply smart business.”

For more data on global talent acquisition trends, workplace flexibility shifts, and emerging market compensation patterns, download Oyster’s 2025 Global Hiring and Impact Report.

About Oyster

Oyster is a B Corp-certified global employment platform that empowers companies to hire, pay, and care for their global teams. It enables growing companies to give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches or expense. Oyster enables people-centric hiring anywhere in the world with reliable, compliant contracts, payroll, and great local benefits and perks. Founded in January 2020 by Tony Jamous, Oyster is itself a fully distributed company with a diverse, global team. For more information visit https://oysterhr.com.

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