The majority, or 84%, of employers across Asia Pacific favour offshoring recruitment strategies, according to a report from PersolKelly.

The report found that markets with the highest adoption rate are Vietnam (46%), South Korea (43%), Thailand (39%).

PersolKelly also found that 80% of employers find that offshoring was overall effective in helping to meet the demand for talent & other requirements for their businesses.

Offshoring appeals to employers across multiple sectors, the report found. For example, Information Technology (IT) with an adoption rate of (56%) to meet their talent needs, followed by Hi-tech Engineering (41%), Manufacturing (34%), Finance (33%).

Having become more open to adopting new operation models and remote work since Covid-19, companies increasingly turn to offshore recruitment strategies to boost agility and put their operations on the right track, the report found.

“Given the unprecedented economic headwinds, businesses find this solution can be cost-effective,” the report stated. “It also opens up opportunities to reach new markets, gives access to a bigger pool of talent with specific skill sets, provides resources to quickly fill gaps in their workforce, and enables the diversification of business operations.”

Zen Loh, Regional Business Director, PersolKelly, said, “Globalisation and technology have made it possible for employers to hire and manage talent beyond geographical boundaries. As the markets become more competitive, companies need to differentiate themselves to create more value for their customers to either preserve or introduce new competitive advantages. This can only be done through hiring the right talent with the right skill set to achieve the business objective.”

That is why offshore recruitment strategy is gaining popularity,” Loh said. “The goal is for this strategy is to seamlessly integrate the hiring of offshore talent as part of the organisation's global setup and to improve the business operations as one team together. The metrics are picking the right people, the right recruitment agency and the right partners. With these things in place, an offshore team isn't just a sustainable alternative to local hiring but a secret weapon in the jostle for business success."

PersolKelly’s report surveyed 1,326 employers from 12 markets across the Asia Pacific region including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.