Why are "remote" jobs in late 2025 still limited to hiring in US/CA/UK/DE?
Throughout 2025, I've been following job boards like YC Jobs, RemoteOK, NoDesk, WeWorkRemotely, and others. Across all of them, I keep seeing a recurring pattern:
Many companies advertise "remote" roles, but hiring is limited to the US, Canada, UK, or Germany. Sometimes they add one or two more countries, but rarely anything beyond that.
Given that it's the last quarter of 2025 and remote work is more established than ever, I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind this.
A few questions I'm hoping founders, hiring managers, or people with international hiring experience can shed light on:
- Is the main blocker regulatory complexity? (employment law, compliance, local registrations, PE risk, etc.)
- Is it primarily about taxes and payroll overhead when hiring abroad?
- Are there security or liability concerns that make certain jurisdictions easier to work with?
- Is it simply the cost of maintaining compliant employment structures worldwide, or are there deeper strategic reasons?
- And finally: Is there evidence that the value produced by strong engineers abroad doesn't offset those costs, or is the issue not economic at all?
I'm asking out of genuine curiosity, from the outside, it seems like a global talent pool should be an advantage, especially for remote-first companies. But the hiring restrictions persist, even as tools like Deel, Remote, Oyster, etc. mature.
I'd love to hear perspectives from people who have dealt with this firsthand.
In my experience, legal and tax complexities are more than sufficient to restrict the countries that we have remote workers living in.
We work globally so practical things like timezones aren't really a factor; we have plenty of experience working around them. That even goes as far as things like personal security in locations that are particularly dangerous. In my line of work that usually means risk of kidnapping. It will be a factor we take into account but wouldn't usually be decisive.
Having said that, I have been involved in setting up multiple offices in new locations. But only where we're expecting to have a significant presence over the long term. Essentially, where we can amortise the costs of legal and tax expertise.
Source: reasonably senior executive at a very large, global financial organisation.
Are you hiring?
If you want to work remote, then easiest approach is to establish yourself as a company / self employed and do effectively freelancing. Entering into employment contract with somebody outside your legal presence is a problem for lawyers. Paying an invoice to a company somewhere in Eastern Europe is not a big deal.
There are duck quacking principles. Just because a contract says "Supplier: XYZ Ltd" doesn't mean it isnt employment from a tax and employment law point of view.
One thing I learnt eventually is: it's not a good idea do business with any party that would be impractical to sue if need be.
legal entities cost millions to set up for big companies
many companies are afraid of the employment laws they don't fully understand
timezones/cultural differences
There are still contracts for working remotely at companies like this, but you've gotta be known for solving painful problems that they can't fix themselves
Synchronizing meeting schedules is one main reason.
Meeting times and already existing taxation systems set up in those countries.
yes, it's all of the above.
Better not upvote you then :)
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