As 2025 crosses the halfway mark, we've spotted key workplace changes taking place. Trends move fast, so we've gathered some of the latest developments for you here.
Let's take a look at the top 2025 talent acquisition trends.
The top 10 talent acquisition trends in 2025
1. EORs are changing how companies hire globally
An employer of record (EOR) employs team members on a company's behalf. Partnering with an EOR allows you to hire globally without establishing a legal entity. Entity setup is costly and time-consuming, so businesses of all sizes are using EORs to hire quickly and easily.
Our 2024 report found that 80% of employees want to work for a global company. Meanwhile, 46% of executives find it very or extremely difficult to get the talent they need in their existing markets. EORs meet these employer and employee needs.
Benefits of working with an EOR include:
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Testing new markets: An EOR allows you to explore new markets without the commitment and cost of entity setup.
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Simplifying global payroll: An EOR puts employees around the globe on a locally compliant payroll. This ensures employees are paid on time and in their local currency.
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Assuring compliant tax withholding: EORs manage employment-related taxes and adhere to in-country regulations. An EOR makes the appropriate tax deductions and filings.
G-P’s global employment and EOR products enable fast and compliant global hiring, complete with an AI-assisted onboarding experience, compliant contracts, payroll management, and competitive benefits packages. With us, you can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 180+ countries, without worrying about compliance.
2. Local talent shortages are driving global talent acquisition
Thriving in competitive industries depends on skilled teams, but specialized skills can be hard to find locally. Many companies are turning to global talent pools to overcome skills shortages.
Global talent acquisition can help you adapt to changing market needs. By widening your talent search, you can fill roles and find the specialized skills you need faster.
Another way to access new talent, technology, and markets is with mergers and acquisitions (M&As). An EOR partner can help you navigate each stage of the M&A process to ensure success during and after the deal.
3. The preference for global companies is growing
Companies aren't the only ones going global. Today's professionals want to work for global companies to gain:
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More career growth opportunities
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Economic stability
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Better benefits and pay
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Exposure to diverse thought
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Upskilling opportunities
Career growth is a key motivation, with 85% of employees believing they'll find more opportunities at a company that hires globally.
This global talent trend creates a valuable opportunity for companies considering market expansion and global hiring. Our research shows that 98% of executives plan to grow their global presence in 2025. And global professionals are ready to answer the call.
4. Companies are optimizing global talent strategies
Companies are focusing on optimizing global talent strategies for sustainable growth by:
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Partnering with an EOR: An EOR simplifies global hiring. EORs have the proper entity infrastructure to manage compliance while you focus on your business.
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Maintaining company culture in new regions: Aligning your brand, mission, and values keeps everyone moving in the same direction.
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Streamlining onboarding: Standardized processes make it easy for new hires to start working faster.
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Enhancing the employee experience: Offer competitive compensation and unique career development opportunities to attract global talent.
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Planning ahead: With HR analytics, you can identify talent gaps and predict hiring needs.
5. Employees are upskilling to thrive in the competitive job market
Upskilling and reskilling are crucial for employees who want to thrive in today's job market. In 2025, these specialized AI skills are in high demand:
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Data science and analytics
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Machine learning
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Natural language processing (NLP)
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Big data and cloud computing
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AI ethics and fairness
Aside from these technology-related skills, creative thinking, a learning mindset, and agility are highly valued soft skills in 2025.
Employees who invest in upskilling and reskilling increase their value, which is beneficial whether they stay in their current roles or explore new opportunities. For companies, upskilling keeps businesses agile. You can create training programs to help employees learn innovative skills.
6. AI is shaping business operations and decisions
AI and automation are impacting how businesses make decisions:
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Predicting challenges: G-P insights show that 49% of executives believe AI can help predict challenges in new markets. AI can identify potential disruptions, monitor geopolitical situations that could impact global talent, and create contingency plans.
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Streamlining hiring: AI can make HR teams more efficient by creating job descriptions and drafting interview questions. AI technology like G-P Gia™ can answer employment law questions across multiple jurisdictions, which is crucial for global talent acquisition. Gia can also review and draft employment contracts, ensure legal compliance, and reduce administrative time and expenses by up to 95%.
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Increasing workforce planning: AI tools and predictive analytics help identify your specific needs, plan for future growth, and make data-informed hiring decisions. AI-powered recruitment technology, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), is another trend. These systems allow you to filter applications based on keywords associated with the role, narrowing down the list of applications you need to review manually.
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Enhancing inclusivity: AI tools help create more inclusive company cultures. They can recommend communication approaches based on cultural preferences.
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Helping employees grow: You can also use AI to develop personalized learning pathways for employees based on their current skills and needs.
7. Strategic growth is the #1 priority
In 2020, many companies embraced "growth-at-all-cost" strategies to accelerate hiring and investing. However, many leaders are focused on maintaining and saving in 2025. We are seeing a more strategic approach to growth.
According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, leaders expect a general economic slowdown to transform 42% of businesses. For this reason, aggressive growth strategies may create vulnerabilities. Instead, companies are considering the following:
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Strategic talent allocation: Companies are carefully mapping their global talent needs against cost, availability, and strategic importance.
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Efficient talent utilization: Talent is a strategic resource that can be optimized. According to the report mentioned above, 63% of employers view skills gaps as a significant barrier to company transformation. Many companies are either upskilling their workforce, hiring candidates with new in-demand skills, or relocating talent to strategic markets.
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Talent development and retention programs: Retaining and developing existing talent is typically more cost-effective than continuous hiring. Some companies are shifting their budget allocation from aggressive hiring to talent development and retention programs that improve existing global teams.
8. Companies are putting employee well-being first in EOR partnerships
While most executives are familiar with the EOR model, employees are typically less aware. Some are concerned about worker classification, while others question who handles payroll, HR, and tax-related requests. Job security is another potential concern among employees unfamiliar with the EOR model.
Companies that use this model must proactively address these employee concerns by:
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Emphasizing that, while the EOR is the legal employer, companies manage employees' day-to-day work.
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Choosing a communicative EOR partner with support teams and in-region specialists who are available to answer questions.
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Reassuring employees that their employment is stable, and being clear about policies and protections in contracts.
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Finding an EOR partner with exceptional customer satisfaction ratings.
The right EOR partner will help you navigate these questions and ease employee confusion. In addition to meeting the criteria above, G-P EOR offers both AI and human support when you need it. Features like G-P Assist provide comprehensive help throughout the employee lifecycle. It answers questions and addresses employee concerns as they arise.
9. Emerging talent pools are gaining momentum
An EOR provides market insights, such as employer burden expenses by region. This information allows companies to allocate their budget efficiently. As a result, companies are tapping into emerging talent hubs to gain a competitive edge and find the talent they need at the right cost.
Some of the emerging talent markets in 2025 include:
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India for data scientists and cybersecurity specialists
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Brazil for account executives and legal advisors
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Spain for project managers and business development managers
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Singapore for business consultants and financial analysts
10. Companies are using EORs for compliance management
In 2025, privacy protection regulations continue to impact global talent acquisition. Frameworks such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) govern how companies process and transfer personal data. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) allows California residents to control how companies use their personal data.
Beyond these established frameworks, a new wave of privacy laws is emerging across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Some of these laws include stricter cross-border data transfer restrictions, employee consent requirements, AI regulation, biometric privacy, and algorithmic transparency in employment decisions. For example, the 2025 amendment to South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act strengthened protection requirements for cross-border data transfers.
Some of these regulations conflict with one another, creating compliance issues when managing global teams. Companies are relying on EORs for specialized compliance expertise. EORs manage complex privacy frameworks and minimize the risks of cross-border privacy violations.
Stay on top of talent acquisition trends with G-P
If you're ready to hire global talent and take advantage of these trends, support from an EOR partner is key. With our global employment products and EOR solutions, you can hire skilled employees in 180+ countries compliantly, without setting up new entities.
To stay informed on the latest trends in talent acquisition and global employment, check out our eBook, 2025 Global Workforce Trends.
