Last updated on Jul 4, 2024

You're recruiting internationally with varying salary expectations. How do you find the right balance?

Navigating the complexities of global talent acquisition requires a keen understanding of varying salary expectations across different countries. When recruiting internationally, you're faced with the challenge of offering competitive salaries that are equitable, fair, and aligned with local markets. This delicate balance is essential to attract the best talent while maintaining a sustainable pay structure. By considering factors such as cost of living, local employment laws, and industry standards, you can develop a compensation strategy that meets the needs of both your organization and your prospective employees.

1 Global Pay Scales

Understanding global pay scales is crucial when recruiting internationally. Start by researching the average salaries for the roles you're hiring for in each country. Consider the cost of living, local tax systems, and mandatory benefits that may impact net income. This information provides a baseline for creating a salary range that is competitive and fair. Remember, what's considered a high salary in one country might be average in another, so it's important to adjust your offers accordingly to ensure they're attractive to candidates.

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Neetasha Sharma

Transforming Talent Acquisition | Driving Success through Strategic Recruitment Solutions | Passionate about Connecting Top Talent with Dream Careers
Achieve balance in international recruitment by researching local salary benchmarks, considering comprehensive compensation packages, evaluating candidates' skills against expectations, negotiating flexibly based on individual circumstances, and ensuring equity across hires. Strive for competitive yet fair offers aligned with company resources and global market standards.
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2 Legal Compliance

Ensuring legal compliance is a non-negotiable aspect of international recruitment. Familiarize yourself with the employment laws and regulations of each country you're hiring in. This includes minimum wage requirements, overtime rules, and mandatory benefits. Non-compliance can lead to legal issues and damage your company's reputation, so it's essential to get this right. Working with local legal experts can help you navigate these complexities and ensure that your salary offerings are not only competitive but also lawful.

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3 Benefits & Perks

Beyond salary, benefits and perks play a significant role in a candidate's decision to accept a job offer. Tailor your benefits package to align with cultural norms and expectations in each region. For example, in some countries, comprehensive health insurance may be more valued than in others where public healthcare is prevalent. Including unique perks that resonate with local talent can also set your offer apart from competitors and show that you value and understand the local workforce.

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4 Negotiation Strategies

Effective negotiation strategies are key to successful international recruitment. Be prepared to discuss salary expectations openly and respectfully with candidates. Understand that negotiation norms vary widely between cultures; some candidates may expect a back-and-forth discussion, while others might see an initial offer as final. To navigate this, have a clear salary range in mind for each role and be transparent about how you've arrived at those figures, considering the candidate's experience and qualifications.

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5 Equity & Fairness

Maintaining equity and fairness is essential when setting salaries for a global team. Strive for internal equity by ensuring that employees in similar roles with comparable experience are paid fairly, regardless of their location. This prevents disparities that could lead to dissatisfaction and turnover. Consider implementing a global grading system that standardizes job levels and associated pay scales across all regions, while still allowing for local market adjustments.

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6 Retention Focus

Focusing on retention is vital when balancing salary expectations internationally. A competitive salary can attract talent, but it's the ongoing investment in your employees that keeps them. Consider offering clear career progression opportunities, continuous learning and development programs, and regular salary reviews to ensure ongoing competitiveness. These strategies can help reduce turnover and foster long-term loyalty among your international team members.

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Karthiga Chidambaram

Senior Manager - Human Resources
While competitive salary is one aspect for retention, there are certain non-monetary aspects that is very important to retain the talent. There has to be a similar opportunity with respect to learning and growing in the career. The candidate's engagement with the Organization has to be taken care and the way of engaging the candidates varies across culture. In addition to these, the market level of the salary needs to be identified to keep in par with the market standards in order to retain the best talent within the Organization.
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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Mona Poonja

Linkedin Top Voice | Global Leadership Talent | Diversity Advocate | Entrepreneur | Learn. Share. Grow.
Research local salary benchmarks to set a fair base. Offer competitive compensation packages with adjustments for cost-of-living. Consider signing bonuses or relocation assistance for high-value candidates. Focus on total rewards: highlight benefits, growth opportunities, and a strong company culture to attract top talent without overspending
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You're recruiting internationally with varying salary expectations. How do you find the right balance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Global Pay Scales

2 Legal Compliance

3 Benefits & Perks

4 Negotiation Strategies

5 Equity & Fairness

6 Retention Focus

7 Here’s what else to consider

Global Talent Acquisition

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More articles on Global Talent Acquisition

You're recruiting internationally with varying salary expectations. How do you find the right balance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Global Pay Scales

2 Legal Compliance

3 Benefits & Perks

4 Negotiation Strategies

5 Equity & Fairness

6 Retention Focus

7 Here’s what else to consider

Global Talent Acquisition

Rate this article

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