The war for talent is no longer fought domestically. The battlefield has changed for CEOs. AI and technology skills shortages, wage inflation, and increasing regulatory pressure are reshaping the rules of the game. The government's latest mandate regarding H1-B visas has created new hurdles in attracting talent to the United States. CEOs who cling to the old strategy of importing talent to the United States will be beaten out not only in jobs but also in innovation and growth.
Pebl surveyed more than 400 HR executives to find out how quickly the trends are changing.
- 71% of executives expect to hire at least some people from overseas in the next six months.
- 86% say the same will happen within 24 months.
- Almost half (48%) predict that more than 50% of their hires will be foreign nationals within just two years.
- Looking further ahead, 40% of business leaders believe that by 2028, the most successful companies will “by default hire globally.”
This is not a theory. That's happening now. Already, 55% say global recruiting is core to their long-term talent strategy. What was once an option is quickly becoming a necessity.
Why the CEO is moving now
Five powerful forces are driving change in global talent sourcing, and together they are dismantling old rules about how companies build teams.
The first force is the allocation of human resources itself. For decades, much of the world's innovation seemed to come from the United States, fueled by people who immigrated in search of opportunity. This story is no longer limited to Silicon Valley or Boston. Breakthroughs are popping up everywhere now: TikTok in China, Mistral in France, Shein in Singapore, Spotify in Sweden. Innovation is decentralized and top talent has more reason than ever to stay as opportunities bloom in their home countries.
The second faction is the skill race. The most important capabilities of the next decade, such as AI, cybersecurity, and data science, are not concentrated in one region. They are distributed all over the world. From Toronto to Tel Aviv, Lagos to Lisbon, the future of work is already distributed. The winners will be those who go where the talent is, rather than waiting for it to come to them.
The third force is wage inflation and scarcity. Competition for expertise in AI, data science, and cybersecurity is pushing salaries into unsustainable territory. In Silicon Valley, a six-figure salary is just the starting point. But more funding no longer guarantees access to the best talent. This will only increase the cost structure. To remain competitive, companies must look beyond their borders.
The fourth force is regulatory and operational friction. Hiring locally no longer guarantees speed or certainty. The US talent import model has become prohibitively expensive, with a new $100,000 H1B fee, forcing many companies to exit the market altogether. Combined with the instability of immigration policy, the old system is crumbling. Companies are increasingly turning to the employer-overseas (EOR) model without establishing a local subsidiary, which allows them to quickly and compliantly expand without disrupting operations.
The fifth and final force is modernizing the HR experience itself. EOR has gone from niche to mainstream. Compliance hurdles, strict labor laws, and regulatory changes that once held back company growth are now manageable guardrails. Our global recruiting platform makes scaling as easy as booking a flight, and is fast, reliable, and designed for scale.
Together, these five forces will not only impact the future of work; They're redefining it. Companies that adapt will thrive.
More fundamentally, global recruitment is moving from a strategic personnel decision to a strategic growth vehicle.
Discussions about talent sourcing and workforce management are now part of the boardroom conversation. Companies need to build resilience and diversify their talent pools across markets to withstand economic shocks, political instability, and local talent shortages. They think borderlessly. This is no longer a tactical decision for HR. It's a growth vehicle that accelerates product launches, shortens innovation cycles, and protects shareholder value.
The CEOs who win the next talent war will not be the ones who wait for immigration reform or double down on unsustainable wage wars. They will look outward rather than inward.
They treat talent like a global market, not a local talent shortage. They will see borderless employment not as an experiment but as essential infrastructure. They will connect the dots between talent strategy and shareholder value because they know that faster access to skills accelerates product cycles, drives innovation, and ensures competitive advantage.
Old question—“Should I hire overseas?”— is outdated.
The only question now is: “How fast can we get there?”
