Software developer, sales manager roles increasingly sought by New Zealand employers overseas
New Zealand employers are increasingly seeking top talent overseas as the country follows the cross-border hiring trend that has grown more popular globally amid labour shortages, according to a new report.
Findings from Deel's latest State of Global Hiring Report revealed that New Zealand's employers and employees are tapping into international job and labour pools to get better employment outcomes.
In the report, employers in New Zealand are shown to be hiring for software developers and sales managers.
They are seeking remote employees from the United States, India, and the United Kingdom.
Remote talent in New Zealand, on the other hand, is popular with employers in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Cross-border hiring myth debunked
The findings debunk the perception that employers all over the world are seeking remote talent to save costs, according to the report.
Globally, the report found that cross-border hiring overwhelmingly targets wealthy, high-income countries. The United Kingdom led top start-up hires, followed by Canada, Germany, Australia, and Spain.
"What intrigues me the most is that we now have proof that hiring internationally isn't driven by shrinking budgets, but an intense competition for the best talent," said Deel economist Lauren Thomas.
"That talent still lives in major metro areas, closer to big cities than they have in recent years, and they're a hot commodity for companies around the world. Post-pandemic, there is a slow crawl towards the urban centres that were always where top talent gravitated towards."
'Currency-hopping' trend
And as cross-border hiring grows more popular, the report found that remote contractors are "currency hopping" to protect their purchasing power.
This trend means contractors in economically volatile markets area are choosing US dollars or stablecoins over their local currencies to protect their purchasing power.
In fact, US dollars appeared in five of the 10 most common country-currency payment contributions globally in 2025.
Kristine Lipscomb, General Manager of Global Mobility at Deel, said the "currency-hopping" trend signals that employees are taking global mobility into their own hands.
"When a contractor in Argentina chooses to get paid in USD or stablecoins instead of pesos, it's not just a financial decision. It's a vote of confidence in the global, borderless economy," Lipscomb said.
"Companies that want to attract and retain the best talent worldwide need to offer the flexibility to match how modern workers actually want to be paid."
