Indian businesses are looking well beyond their borders to fuel growth, according to a new survey by Deel, which finds that 77% of Indian companies plan to increase global hiring over the next 12-18 months. The research signals a shift in how Indian organisations are building and structuring their workforces, as access to specialised talent, proximity to customers, and round-the-clock operations emerge as the leading drivers of international expansion.
The survey of 1,008 senior decision-makers and HR leaders across seven major Indian cities finds that global hiring is no longer a fringe strategy but a mainstream one. More than half (54%) of companies already have more than a quarter of their workforce based outside India. Additionally, more than half (58%) of companies operate in four or more countries, with nearly 20% already operating across more than 10 countries.
Specialised talent, not cost, is fuelling global expansion
34% of respondents cite access to specialised or emerging skills as their top reason for hiring globally, followed by 33% who hire to be closer to customers and local markets, and 20% who cite the ability to run 24/7 operations. The findings underscore that for Indian companies, going global is a talent and market-access strategy, not a cost play.
Global hiring is heavily concentrated in technology roles:
Companies expanding overseas are looking to fill the skills gap and also revenue-critical roles. Nearly nine in ten (89%) of companies hiring globally are looking for advanced technology and engineering talent, such as core developers, AI/ML specialists, and R&D professionals. This is followed by sales and business development (80%) and product and design (45%).
North America remains the top destination for Indian companies’ global workforces, cited by 36% of respondents, ahead of Europe/UK (27%) and APAC (21%). This suggests employers are willing to pay more to hire the right talent from high-income economies for roles that directly influence roadmap and revenue.
“India’s economic momentum, maturing startup ecosystem, thriving digital economy, and increasingly supportive policy environment are giving Indian companies the confidence to build globally, not just serve global clients from India. The winners will be those treating international expansion as a core growth strategy – backed by the right talent, technology, and compliance foundations. In the next few years, India’s most ambitious companies will be measured not just by revenue growth, but by its global footprint,” said Mr. Rakesh Gaur, Head of Sales for India at Deel.
Compliance, not cost, is the biggest barrier to scaling globally
As Indian companies expand their international footprint, compliance has emerged as the biggest obstacle to scaling. Three quarters (76%) of respondents cite compliance and administrative burden, not the cost of expansion, as their primary challenge. This includes navigating global payroll, local tax laws, statutory benefits, and risks such as misclassification and permanent establishment.
The impact is already being felt: One in three (36%) of companies report moderate or significant disruption to their expansion plans due to compliance issues, and only one in ten (10%) say they are highly confident their global HR and payroll setup is fully compliant.
Compliance delays are already impacting business performance
The impact of compliance challenges extends well beyond HR and legal teams. Among companies that experienced delays in their global expansion, the biggest causes were local entity setup taking longer than expected (42%), followed by visa, immigration or work permit delays (31%), payroll, tax or statutory filing errors (27%), and internal system or process gaps caused by manual or disconnected tools (25%).
The business consequences are significant. Seven in ten (70%) companies say compliance-related delays pushed back a product or market launch, while 67% report strain on leadership time, team morale or company reputation. Nearly six in ten (59%) experienced delayed revenue because new hires were not productive on time, 49% lost or delayed a deal, contract or project, and 38% incurred additional legal, remediation or unplanned costs. Only 20% say the delays had no measurable financial impact.
Fragmented operations are slowing global growth
Workforce operations also remain fragmented. Nearly half (46%) of companies use a central HR system but still manage global payroll manually, and 44% juggle between two to five separate HR or workforce platforms to manage their international teams.
Rakesh adds, “Indian companies want to scale globally, but managing compliance across fragmented systems isn’t just inefficient – it’s a compliance liability. The ones that win will consolidate their operations onto a platform built for global growth.”
EOR adoption is becoming the default route to global expansion
Against this backdrop of rising complexity, Employer of Record (EOR) solutions are emerging as the default strategy for Indian companies scaling internationally. 34% of companies already use an EOR model, while another 24% use a mix of employment models, combining EOR, contractors, and owned entities, depending on the country and role.
Among companies already using an EOR, the benefits are clear: 40% say it saves them both time and cost, and a further 35% say it primarily saves time.
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