For years, international hiring discussions in the UK have tended to focus on two directions: recruiting locally in London and other major cities, or outsourcing work much farther afield to established offshore markets in Asia.
That picture is becoming more complicated.
As remote and hybrid work have become normal parts of professional life, UK businesses can recruit from a much wider talent market without treating every international hire as traditional outsourcing. Latin America is increasingly part of that conversation, particularly for technology, artificial intelligence, sales, design and operational roles.
The appeal is not simply lower salaries.
Latin America offers a combination of experienced professionals, growing technology ecosystems, manageable time differences with the UK and access to specialists who may be difficult to recruit domestically.
For companies considering the region, however, successful hiring still depends on choosing the right role, country and employment structure.
UK Businesses Are Still Competing for Specialist Skills
The UK has a substantial technology workforce, but employers continue to report shortages in several specialist areas.
The UK Government’s 2025 AI Labour Market Survey found that 97% of organisations surveyed identified at least one AI skills gap, while 57% reported a technical AI skills gap. Senior and experienced AI positions were among those organisations found difficult to recruit.
Skills England also projects significant expansion across digital and technology occupations. Its 2026 sector assessment identified 30 priority occupations expected to grow by approximately 239,000 jobs between 2025 and 2035.
Cybersecurity provides another example. Government research published in 2026 estimated an annual UK cyber workforce shortfall of around 3,800 people, and employers experiencing difficult-to-fill vacancies were particularly likely to report problems recruiting professionals with three to five years of experience.
These figures do not mean UK companies should stop investing in domestic talent. Local recruitment, apprenticeships and professional development remain essential.
They do show why some businesses are widening their search.
When a company cannot find the required experience quickly enough within commuting distance of Manchester, London, Bristol or another UK technology hub, international remote hiring becomes another possible source of capacity.
Remote Work Has Changed What an International Team Looks Like
Hiring someone in another country once implied an outsourcing relationship in which work was handed to an external team and returned later.
Modern remote organisations often work differently.
The Office for National Statistics reported that 28% of workers in Great Britain followed a hybrid working pattern between January and March 2025. Remote collaboration is therefore no longer an unfamiliar operating model for many professional teams.
Employees already work through:
- Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Zoom and Google Meet
- Jira, Linear and Asana
- Figma
- GitHub and GitLab
- Notion and Confluence
- Cloud-based CRMs
- Shared analytics platforms
Once work is organised around these systems, geography becomes less restrictive.
A software engineer working from another country can participate in sprint planning, submit code through the same repository, review pull requests and communicate directly with product managers.
A remote marketer can work inside the same content calendar and analytics tools.
A sales professional can update the same CRM and join the same revenue meetings.
The question becomes less about whether the employee is international and more about whether the company can create enough working-hour overlap, communication quality and operational clarity for that person to function as part of the team.
Why Latin America Is Entering the UK Hiring Conversation
Latin America is not one labour market.
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Costa Rica each have different salary expectations, education systems, language profiles and areas of talent strength.
Nevertheless, the region offers several characteristics that can make it attractive to UK employers.
1. The Time Difference Is More Manageable Than Many Assume
Latin America is often described as a nearshore market for North American companies because of its alignment with US working hours.
For UK companies, it is not quite as close, but meaningful working-day overlap is still possible.
The difference between London and Buenos Aires or São Paulo is generally around three to four hours depending on British daylight saving time.
Colombia is typically five to six hours behind the UK, while Mexico can be further depending on the city.
That creates a useful pattern for many distributed teams.
A developer in Argentina starting at 9 a.m. locally can be available from early afternoon in the UK. A team can schedule planning, reviews and technical discussions during this overlap while both sides retain substantial uninterrupted working time.
This is particularly useful for roles where teams need several hours of live collaboration but do not require identical schedules.
Examples include:
- Software engineering
- QA
- Product design
- Data engineering
- AI development
- Marketing
- Finance
- Operations
For companies accustomed to fully asynchronous offshore outsourcing, even a few reliable hours of direct collaboration can significantly change how a distributed employee integrates into the organisation.
2. UK Companies Can Access a Larger Technology Talent Pool
Digital skills remain a strategic priority for the UK economy, and specialist demand continues to develop around AI, cybersecurity, software and data.
Recruiting internationally allows companies to supplement domestic hiring rather than competing for every position within one market.
Latin America’s technology ecosystems have grown across major cities including:
- Buenos Aires
- São Paulo
- Bogotá
- Medellín
- Mexico City
- Guadalajara
- Santiago
- Montevideo
- San José
These markets contain professionals working across software development, cloud infrastructure, data, machine learning and product engineering.
For a UK startup, that can create access to candidates who have already worked remotely for overseas technology companies and are familiar with international development practices.
Businesses building development teams can, for example, recruit LATAM software engineers across common stacks such as JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js, Python, Java, .NET and cloud infrastructure rather than restricting the search to one UK city. HiresLink currently recruits these roles from a structured LATAM talent network covering multiple regional markets.
The objective should not be to replace a UK engineering organisation.
It can instead be to widen the hiring funnel when another developer, data specialist or AI professional is required quickly.
3. International Hiring Can Create More Flexible Cost Structures
Compensation is one of the reasons companies consider Latin America, but it should not be the only reason.
Professional salaries across the region are generally different from equivalent compensation in London, Manchester or other major UK technology markets.
That can allow a business to use its hiring budget differently.
Instead of choosing between one highly expensive specialist and leaving several functions understaffed, the company may be able to build a broader team containing complementary skills.
For example, a startup might prioritise:
- A backend engineer
- A QA engineer
- A product designer
rather than asking one employee to cover all three functions.
The important distinction is between cost efficiency and simply hiring the cheapest available candidate.
The lowest-priced applicant may create higher costs through poor quality, management overhead or replacement.
Companies should compare:
- Relevant experience
- Technical ability
- English communication
- International work experience
- Salary expectations
- Employer costs
- Benefits
- Equipment
- Recruiting costs
- Retention
- Management requirements
A good international hire should make economic sense because the candidate is suitable for the role, not merely because the salary is lower.
4. The Region Offers More Than Developers
The first wave of international technology hiring often concentrated on software engineers.
Remote recruitment now extends much further.
UK companies can potentially recruit Latin American professionals across:
Artificial intelligence
- AI/ML engineers
- MLOps engineers
- AI automation specialists
- LLM developers
- AI integration engineers
- Data engineers
Revenue
- Sales development representatives
- Business development representatives
- Account executives
- Customer success managers
- Revenue operations specialists
Marketing
- Content marketers
- SEO specialists
- Performance marketers
- Designers
- Marketing operations professionals
Operations
- Executive assistants
- Bookkeepers
- Customer support staff
- Operations coordinators
- Recruiting coordinators
This makes the region more useful for businesses attempting to build a distributed organisation rather than fill one isolated technical position.
Nearshore talent platforms such as HiresLink now organise LATAM hiring across technology, AI, revenue and business operations rather than concentrating exclusively on developers.
5. English Proficiency Should Be Evaluated, Not Assumed
Latin America contains large numbers of bilingual professionals, particularly in international technology and business-service sectors.
However, English ability differs substantially between individuals and markets.
Employers should avoid assuming that a CV written in English proves someone can comfortably participate in:
- Daily meetings
- Customer calls
- Technical discussions
- Written documentation
- Conflict resolution
- Presentations
Live evaluation remains important.
For internally focused technical roles, strong professional English may be sufficient even when the candidate does not sound like a native speaker.
For customer-facing sales or account-management positions, companies may require more nuanced conversational fluency.
The appropriate standard depends on the job.
A backend engineer writing documentation and attending technical stand-ups has different communication requirements from an account executive negotiating contracts with British buyers.
Which LATAM Countries Should UK Employers Consider?
There is no universally best country.
The right market depends on the role and hiring priorities.
Argentina
Argentina has a long-established software and digital services sector.
It can be particularly interesting for:
- Software engineers
- AI professionals
- Product designers
- Data specialists
- Creative roles
Its time difference with the UK also creates relatively strong working-day overlap.
Brazil
Brazil has the region’s largest economy and an extensive technical workforce.
It can be attractive for:
- Engineering
- Data
- Fintech
- Product development
- Infrastructure
Portuguese is the primary language, so companies should assess English requirements carefully for each candidate.
Colombia
Colombia has become an important technology and business-services hub.
Common opportunities include:
- Software development
- Customer success
- Sales
- Operations
- Healthcare administration
Bogotá and Medellín both have established international business communities.
Mexico
Mexico has a large workforce and strong links with global businesses.
Talent is available across:
- Engineering
- Finance
- Sales
- Customer operations
- Healthcare support
The UK time difference is larger than with southern South America, so employers should discuss schedules explicitly.
Uruguay
Uruguay has a relatively small population but an established technology sector.
It can work particularly well for companies looking for experienced engineering or AI professionals.
Chile
Chile has a mature business environment and talent in software, finance and professional services.
Again, salaries may differ from neighbouring markets, so companies should compare countries based on role-specific data rather than assuming compensation is uniform across Latin America.
Nearshore Hiring Is Not the Same as Outsourcing
A useful distinction for UK employers is whether they want to outsource an outcome or hire an individual.
An outsourcing agency usually owns the delivery of a project.
A distributed hire normally works inside the company’s existing team.
For example, an outsourced development agency may be responsible for building an application and delivering it to the customer.
A nearshore engineer may instead:
- Attend the company’s daily stand-up
- Report to the UK engineering manager
- Work in the company’s GitHub repository
- Follow the same sprint process
- Participate in code reviews
- Collaborate directly with designers and product managers
These are different operating models.
Neither is inherently better.
Project outsourcing can work well when the business wants another company to own a clearly defined deliverable.
Direct or managed international hiring may be more appropriate when the business needs ongoing capability and wants the professional embedded in the internal team.
Companies should decide which model they need before comparing providers.
Contractor, EOR or Direct Employment?
International hiring also requires the right legal and payroll structure.
Three common approaches are:
Independent contractor
The professional operates as a self-employed contractor.
This can provide flexibility but requires careful consideration of worker classification, local tax obligations and the actual nature of the working relationship.
Calling someone a contractor does not automatically make the relationship compliant if the company manages that person like an employee.
Employer of Record
An Employer of Record, or EOR, becomes the legal employer in the worker’s country while the client company manages the person’s day-to-day responsibilities.
The EOR typically manages local:
- Employment contracts
- Payroll
- Statutory contributions
- Required benefits
- Employment administration
This can be useful when a UK company wants a formal employee in a country where it does not have its own legal entity.
Local entity
A company planning to employ a substantial number of people in one country may eventually establish its own local entity.
This provides greater direct control but introduces legal, accounting and administrative costs.
There is no universal structure suitable for every company.
Businesses should obtain appropriate tax and employment advice for the countries involved rather than copying a structure used by another employer.
How to Evaluate LATAM Candidates
International hiring should not mean lowering the hiring standard.
A strong process should test the abilities actually required for the position.
For technical roles, consider:
- Relevant stack experience
- System-design ability
- Debugging
- Code quality
- Documentation
- Production experience
- Communication
- Ownership
Avoid relying entirely on algorithm-style challenges when they bear little resemblance to the actual job.
A senior engineer who will maintain a SaaS platform should be evaluated on architectural decisions, trade-offs, debugging and production thinking—not merely whether they can complete an abstract puzzle quickly.
For nontechnical roles, practical exercises can be equally valuable.
A customer-success candidate could respond to a simulated client problem.
A marketer could critique an existing campaign.
An operations candidate could prioritise a set of competing tasks.
The goal is to understand how the person performs the work.
Look for International Work Experience
Previous experience with British, American, Canadian or other international businesses can reduce onboarding time.
Candidates who have already worked remotely across borders may understand:
- Written status updates
- Documentation
- Calendar discipline
- Independent task ownership
- Distributed-team etiquette
- Communication across cultures
- Working without constant supervision
This experience can matter as much as technical ability.
A highly capable professional who has always worked in a tightly supervised local office may need time to adapt to an asynchronous distributed environment.
That does not make the person unsuitable. It simply means the onboarding plan should account for it.
Build Enough Working-Hour Overlap
UK employers should define overlap before making an offer.
Do not simply advertise a job as “UK hours” without considering what that means for the candidate locally.
Instead identify the meetings and collaboration windows that genuinely need to happen in real time.
For example:
- 2 p.m. UK — daily engineering stand-up
- 3 p.m. UK — product collaboration
- 4 p.m. UK — customer or stakeholder meetings
The remainder of the employee’s day can often be structured flexibly.
This approach creates predictable collaboration without forcing someone to adopt unnecessarily difficult hours.
Remote Management Still Determines the Outcome
International recruitment can expand the talent pool, but it cannot fix weak management.
Remote employees require the same fundamentals as local employees:
- Clear objectives
- Defined ownership
- Access to information
- Useful feedback
- Reasonable workloads
- Career development
- Recognition
- Accountability
Problems emerge when companies hire internationally and treat those employees as peripheral labour.
A developer who is excluded from architecture discussions will struggle to take ownership.
A marketer who receives tasks without understanding positioning cannot make strategic decisions.
A customer-success professional without product context cannot resolve difficult client issues.
The strongest distributed teams integrate international employees into the company rather than creating a separate offshore tier.
Start With One Role and Learn
Companies new to Latin American hiring do not need to build an entire international department immediately.
A more practical approach is to begin with one clearly defined position.
Choose a role that:
- Has an obvious owner internally
- Can be performed remotely
- Has measurable outputs
- Requires skills that are difficult or expensive to recruit locally
- Benefits from several hours of UK working-time overlap
Then document what you learn.
Review:
- Recruitment speed
- Candidate quality
- Communication
- Onboarding
- Payroll administration
- Team integration
- Performance
- Management effort
That experience creates a better foundation for the next hire.
Final Thoughts
Latin America is unlikely to replace domestic hiring for UK companies, and that should not be the objective.
Its value is that it gives employers another talent market to consider.
UK businesses continue to face demand for specialised digital and AI skills, while remote and hybrid working have made distributed collaboration much more familiar.
For the right roles, Latin America can offer:
- Experienced professionals
- Broader access to technical and business skills
- Useful working-hour overlap with the UK
- More flexible hiring economics
- The ability to build genuinely international teams
Success still depends on execution.
Companies need to choose countries based on the role, evaluate candidates properly, establish compliant employment structures and manage international professionals as genuine members of the organisation.
The businesses that do this well are not simply moving work overseas.
They are expanding the definition of where their team can come from.
