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Employing across borders in the Middle East is complicated, and failure to comply can trigger strict penalties. So, how do you ensure legal hiring? What measures should you put in place? And how does your recruitment framework need to change?
There is a more straightforward solution. Have you heard about Employers of Record (EORs)?
An EOR is a supplier that operates as your legal entity to recruit, pay and support all regional staff. EORs can also be used to employ across borders, either importing talent or recruiting in a secondary base of operations.
We've written this article to help you appreciate where Global EORs can be helpful to legal compliance for three cross-border scenarios
building operations in a new country
sourcing talent from a different region, and
managing staff across multiple borders of operation.
Join us as we explore a better solution for you.
Scenario 1: Using an EOR to Build Operations in a New Country
Acting as your legal entity in a new country of operations, an experienced EOR should have intimate local knowledge of employment laws to make the best hiring decisions for you. And the way we work with clients is to have feet on the ground, where our team can develop lasting local connections to ensure staff are onboarded efficiently and legally.
Your EOR should offer a framework for employment in your new country of operation. Their process should include:
● An adherence to drafting employment contracts for the region of employment to avoid disputes
● Competence in pay and taxation compliance
● An audit trail for clarity on where compliance has been met and the dates of cover
● Most importantly, your EOR should offer employee support to ensure retention.
When you have these in place, you are not only satisfying legalities but also offering a more considered HR process where an employee feels respected and satisfied in their role. This helps you diversify and scale operations at a better pace while managing the costs of your internal operations.
A great EOR should make all of this feel like a seamless outsourced service.
Scenario 2: Using an EOR to Ensure Legal Hiring When You Import Talent
As the Middle East seeks to shift its dependence away from oil and gas revenues, most countries are promoting investment and growth in areas like tourism, banking and telecommunications. The challenge with change, as always, is the tools and people available to make that leap. A skilled workforce will always be one of the most critical challenges to overcome.
When you are importing workforce personnel with skills to help you build and develop your business, you need to ensure several things from your EOR:
● An understanding of work permits and immigration visas to avoid immigration delays
● Consideration for employing overseas workers (for example, employment ratios as directed by Nitaqat in Saudi Arabia)
● A culturally sensitive relocation, onboarding and support system
Having these in place ensures that new staff can perform their job to the standard you expect, regardless of where they arrive from. It also ensures legal hiring, satisfying local government and labour offices.
While this is critical for long-term contracts where you require high retention rates, it is also vital for seasonal or contingent staff who need to come in and carry out specific jobs that help you build infrastructure, cover higher demands in goods and services, or support departmental upskilling.
A great EOR has a framework for importing skilled employees effectively and opening your candidate pool.
Scenario 3: Using an EOR to Ensure Legal Hiring for Cross-Border Operations
Cross-border operations are much easier if your EOR has a base in the country where you are looking for employees. For example, if you operate in Saudi Arabia but are looking to have partial operations near-shored in Jordan, then an EOR base in both countries would be a benefit.
Why?
Because your EOR already exists as a legal entity in both states, you benefit from that existing local reputation and groundwork. This should include recruiters with local knowledge and candidate networks, as well as authority relations and existing trainer connections, giving you comprehensive L&D solutions.
The EOR That Makes Legal Hiring Across the Middle East Easy
To support your Middle East trading you need a partner that can deliver an EOR service with a robust legal hiring framework. More than that, they must have a reliable team that actively connects businesses like yours with the infrastructure and people you need to help you build at the rate you want to grow.
That's why at mselect, we also offer infrastructure and business procurement. It is an extra service that means decisions to grow regionally, near-shore or off-shore are executed swiftly, ensuring better operational profits for you.
Contact us today if you need help from a trusted EOR in the Middle East.