Headcount gets approved. Months later, many of those roles are still open. The market was right and the budget was there. What stalled was everything in between: finding the right person, then employing them compliantly in a country where you have no entity.
That gap is why RemotePass is partnering with Qureos, the AI recruiting platform. First, here is what our data says about where companies are building teams in 2026.
Where remote hiring is heading in 2026
Our latest Remote Hiring Report analysed 35,000+ contracts across 143 countries on the RemotePass platform. Four patterns stand out for anyone planning headcount this year.
- The Gulf is accelerating. Hiring volume rose 39% in the UAE and 26% in Saudi Arabia, with salaries up 18% and 17%. Competition for senior talent in both markets is tightening.
- Egypt leads tech hiring. It ranks first for Software, Backend, Frontend and QA Engineers and for Data Scientists. Its median salary across roles is $19,800, against $59,300 in the UAE.
- New markets are opening. Indonesia (266%), Poland (183%) and Brazil (164%) all grew by triple digits as companies looked beyond traditional hubs.
- AI talent is the scarcest. AI-focused Data Scientist hiring rose 43%, and the UAE led AI hiring growth at 48%.
The real bottleneck sits between "approved" and "day one"
The data shows where demand is. It does not show how long roles sit open.
In emerging markets, two problems tend to arrive together. The right candidate is hard to find, especially in fast-moving fields such as AI and data. And the right candidate often lives in a country where you have no legal entity, which can take months to set up.
Most companies solve these with separate providers, separate timelines and a handover in the middle where momentum is lost.
Qureos and RemotePass: from shortlist to payroll
Qureos uses AI agents to advertise roles across 2,500+ talent portals, search 4M candidate profiles and approach people who are not actively applying. Recruiters validate every shortlist, so customers receive interview-ready candidates in days, with no placement fee.
RemotePass then employs or contracts that person in 150+ countries as employer or contractor of record. Local contracts, payroll, tax and statutory benefits are handled, and team members are paid in their own currency. No entity required.
Together, the partnership covers the full journey: brief, source, screen, offer, onboard and pay.
What this means for your hiring plan
If you are building a team in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia or one of the fast-growing markets above, ask three questions now:
- Can we find qualified candidates here in weeks rather than quarters?
- Can we employ them compliantly without opening an entity?
- Who owns the handover between those two steps?
With Qureos and RemotePass, that handover is built in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I employ someone in a country where my company has no entity? Yes. An employer of record such as RemotePass becomes the legal employer in that country and manages contracts, payroll, tax and benefits, while you direct the day-to-day work.
Does an employer of record find candidates? No. An employer of record employs the person you choose. A recruiting partner such as Qureos finds and screens candidates, which is why the two services work best together.
Planning hiring in emerging markets? Download the full Remote Hiring Report or talk with an expert about your next market.
