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KAREN JOY BACUDO
Finance Editor
Safeguard Global has published research showing that many UK workers are wary of taking remote jobs with overseas employers, despite strong confidence among UK Chief Financial Officers about international hiring.
The survey found that 63% of UK employees would consider working remotely for a company based abroad. However, 86% were concerned about job security, the same share worried about receiving the same employment protections as staff at UK-based companies, and 74% were concerned about being paid correctly and on time.
The report also highlighted a gap between employer confidence and worker sentiment. Earlier Safeguard Global research found that 97% of UK Chief Financial Officers believed their organisations were prepared to hire internationally, while 87% were confident their businesses could manage international contracts, payroll, taxes and benefits.
That confidence does not appear to ease workers’ anxieties. Alongside concerns about job security and employment rights, 86% of respondents said they were worried about how their taxes would work if they took a remote role with an overseas employer. Another 76% were concerned about appropriate local healthcare coverage.
The findings come as UK vacancies have fallen to their lowest level. That may push more workers to consider roles beyond the domestic market while giving overseas employers a wider pool of British candidates to target.
Pay and protections
Higher salaries were the main incentive for workers considering remote employment with an overseas company. The results suggest pay remains the strongest draw, ahead of factors such as flexibility or workplace culture. But salary alone is unlikely to resolve concerns about rights, payroll and stability.
The survey’s relocation data showed a similar pattern. Just under half of UK workers, 43%, said they would consider moving abroad for a job, but only if a number of practical and financial conditions were met.
Among those conditions, 61% said they would expect employers to handle visa and immigration arrangements. A further 60% wanted moving expenses covered, while 54% said they would require a significantly higher salary and the same share wanted temporary housing.
Benefits also featured prominently. The survey found that 51% would require better benefits to relocate, while 43% said they would want guaranteed paid return trips home.
Relocation barriers
Geopolitical risk was another constraint on global mobility. The research found that 60% of UK workers would only be willing to relocate if there were no active or recent crises in the destination country.
The study was based on a survey of 2,000 respondents across the UK and US, including sentiment from 1,268 working adults. Respondents were asked about their willingness to take jobs with companies headquartered outside their home country or roles that would require them to move abroad, and what would make those opportunities feel secure and attractive.
The results indicate that overseas employers seeking UK talent may face a more complex hiring environment than employer confidence alone suggests. Administrative readiness within finance teams may not be enough if workers remain uncertain about legal protections, pay arrangements and basic employment safeguards.
For employers, the figures also underline the importance of clarity around contract terms, tax treatment, payroll arrangements and benefits. Those details may carry as much weight with candidates as headline salary offers, particularly at a time when households remain sensitive to income security and cost pressures.
Safeguard Global, which provides employer of record and related workforce services, said the findings showed that global employers must do more to reassure workers about the practical terms of overseas employment.
“While workers are open to global work opportunities, they’re concerned over whether overseas employers can deliver the same level of benefits, job security, and reliability that they have come to expect from domestic employers,” said Bjorn Reynolds, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Safeguard Global.
“As companies increasingly look beyond borders to find the talent they need, finding the right employee is only half the equation for successful global hiring. International employers also need to convince workers that they can offer the same or better support than that offered by local organizations. Employers who can’t will have a hard time competing for international talent,” Reynolds added.