Global Employment Trends in 2025 Uncovered by Oyster: The Skilled Workforce Revolution and Its Impact on the Labor Market Worldwide
In a world increasingly embracing remote work and flexible employment models, Oyster's latest Global Hiring and Impact Report offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of talent acquisition.
According to the report, companies in the software & services and professional services industries led in remote hiring, reflecting a growing trend towards digital transformation and expertise-on-demand arrangements. This shift is further underscored by the rise of contract work, with contractor engagements through Oyster rising by 46% year-on-year while permanent hires declined by 2%.
Marina Farthouat, VP of People at Oyster, noted that we are witnessing the emergence of an 'Expertise Economy', where knowledge workers are increasingly defining their careers through expertise and meaningful projects, not company loyalty. This trend is particularly evident in roles in technology, sales and marketing, and administrative support, which dominate global hiring, especially in Asia and South America.
The report also reveals a new symbiotic relationship forming between companies and global talent. This is exemplified by the 10x growth in consulting hires year-on-year, with the Philippines, India, and emerging markets across Latin America becoming go-to destinations for specialized technology talent.
One of the key findings of the report is the growing confidence in emerging markets. In 2024, 47% of new hires on Oyster's platform were located in emerging economies, up by 3 percentage points from 2023. Notably, only 37% of companies’ first international hires are from emerging markets, but this share rises to 48% for subsequent hires, reflecting growing employer confidence after initial engagement.
Oyster's platform, which facilitates hiring across 180+ countries, simplifies compliance with local labor laws, payroll taxes, and benefits administration. This support for flexible, remote, and distributed workforce models is enabling companies to onboard talent anywhere with confidence.
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%). However, the increasing volume of payments to emerging economies (over $137 million in 2024, a 29% increase over 2023) underscores substantial growth in hiring and economic impact in these regions.
In conclusion, Oyster’s report highlights a broad shift towards geographically diverse, flexible hiring. As more companies adopt remote work and expertise-on-demand models, the role of compliant and streamlined hiring solutions like Oyster's platform is increasingly crucial in enabling this transition. With over 57% of surveyed companies planning to hire international talent in the next 12 months, this trend is set to continue.
- The rise in contractor engagements through Oyster, coupled with the decline in permanent hires, suggests a growing trend in the technology industry towards expertise-on-demand arrangements.
- The shift towards remote work and hiring in emerging markets is underscored by the significant increase in consulting hires, particularly in specialized technology roles in the Philippines, India, and Latin America.
