Most Aussie companies set to hire majority remote workers next year

A new report reveals the incredible volume of Australia-based companies that anticipate hiring a notable majority of their workforce as remote, full-time employees in 2025.

According to the latest IDC InfoBrief, The Future State of Hiring and Talent Management of the International Workforce in Asia/Pacific, a “significant shift” in hiring intentions is underway.

The report – which was sponsored by Remote – surveyed 600 organisations across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and found that nearly four in five (78 per cent) companies across APAC plan to hire more than 60 per cent of their workforce as remote, full-time employees in the next 12 months, with Australia (83 per cent), Japan (85 per cent), South Korea (79 per cent) and India (79 per cent) showing the strongest commitment to remote hiring.

It also found that Australia ranked highest in hiring maturity, adopting HR solutions more rapidly than other markets, followed by South Korea and Japan, with 78 per cent of Australian companies using Employer of Record (EOR) solutions for payroll and other HR tasks for their distributed teams, as per a statement.

This reflects, the statement continued, Australia’s progressive approach to integrating technology for workforce management, allowing businesses to more effectively recruit and manage international talent.

This is not to say, of course, that challenges will not be faced when hiring for remote roles. The challenges respondents identified included managing payroll for an international workforce, navigating local policies, tax, and compliance issues, and finding the right skills mix in target countries.

In the face of such hurdles, more than one in two (52 per cent) of Australian companies are already using integrated HR platforms for key functions such as onboarding and employee management, the report noted, demonstrating a strong reliance on technology to streamline HR processes and support remote talent.

Speaking about the findings, Remote’s GTM lead in APAC, Nick Martin, said: “The rapid shift to remote work across Asia-Pacific, especially in Australia, underscores the growing need for businesses to adopt advanced HR technologies.

“As companies hire talent from diverse geographies, having the right digital tools in place is critical for managing payroll, compliance, and employee engagement effectively. Those that embrace these solutions will not only meet the evolving demands of the workforce but will also gain a competitive edge in the global talent market.”

The InfoBrief sought insights into how businesses are adapting to new talent acquisition and management models, particularly in response to the growing demand for remote work, and highlighted the accelerating adoption of HR technologies and solutions that enable businesses to efficiently manage a geographically distributed workforce.