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Leila Dorari
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Hiring Foreign Workers in your SMB: Pros and Cons

Leila Dorari

May 28, 2018


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In this day and age, you need to go above and beyond in order to keep your small or medium business afloat. This can mean looking outside your own country in order to get the kind of staff you’re looking for.

“Good help is hard to find” – the old saying goes – and it is quite true. Getting the employee that you want – hard working, efficient, professional and respectful – can be a chore, and you will make it that much harder for yourself by just going local. That’s why we warmly advise that you at the very least think of getting a foreign worker to enter your company.

           

Pro: Larger Labour force to Choose From

 

By hiring foreigners and going international, you can access a much larger work pool. By not limiting yourself to exclusively local (i.e. national) talent, you can find people that have a skill set much closer to the exact one you are looking for. In a way, you won’t need to limit yourself and make compromises.

Because you have access to, essentially, the whole world, you can find people with educational backgrounds and skills much different than the ones you have at home. Furthermore, they will give you a completely unique outlook on the actual work, no matter how similar or different their culture is to yours. They will also be extra enthusiastic and thankful for the job if they come from a place with a weak economy and a poor job market.

You can expect them to most likely have a ton of experience and training under their belt, otherwise, chances are slim that they would even apply for a foreign market. It’s not an overstatements saying that you will be able to choose from the cream of the crop.                        

 

Con: Dealing with bureaucratic nonsense

 

One of the biggest issues when hiring foreign workers is all the paperwork and legal hoops you need to go through. Not to mention that background checks are always annoying and tedious, but a good check for an individual coming from another country – now that’s a nightmare. You should also pay attention to the latest law. However, if one of your employees gets into trouble, contacting the best migration lawyer Sydney (or wherever else you’re stationed) could be a good idea. Just don’t go blind, no matter how much bureaucratic experience you have.

Keep in mind that even though the rules do vary from country to country, there are some features that are most likely universal. This means the foreign worker needs a type of residence or work visa. They will also need some proof of identity, as well as evidence of no prior convictions or evidence of them not currently being on trial.  Further information on this topic is beyond the scope of this article, but we advise you check out the current immigration laws and policies.

 

Pro: Filling in job vacancies

Sometimes it’s not a matter of talent, but simply a matter of not having any available people for certain jobs. These jobs may be highly skill-intensive, and so no country has enough trained professionals for this certain field. Another factor could be age – some trades and skills are slowly dying out, as they become less and less popular (for whatever reason) in one country, while staying very relevant in another. Some professionals retire and never pass on their knowledge onto the next generation. So instead of letting a trade die out, you can find people from far away who are prepared to do it.

On the other hand, some jobs are vacant not due to a lack of skilled labour, but by simply being undesirable. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that even some boring, difficult and physical tasking jobs need to be done. There is a high chance that some foreigners are willing to take up this type of work, especially when we take into account just how well this kind of work pays for people coming from poorer nations.

 

Con: Communication issues and acceptance

               

While knowing your countries language should be one of the obligatory traits needed when hiring a foreign worker, sometimes it’s simply not possible. And even if they do speak your language, it may be a bit…lacking. So one of the annoyances of hiring a foreign worker could be simple communication issues. Still, with a couple of courses (or more stringent hiring standards), this can be mitigated.

 Another issue is acceptance. This is a sad fact, but some foreign workers may face discrimination and intolerance. It is up to you to give your best and create a positive and tolerant work environment.

 

 

Final Thoughts


We truly hope this article has been useful and that you can now make an educated decision. Just remember that these pros and cons are not set in stone, and that hiring proper staff really depends on how your business is set up.


                   



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