In 2025, the war for talent isn’t being won in New York, London, or San Francisco. It’s happening quietly in places your competitors probably haven’t even considered. These hotspots aren’t global brand names, but they’re building some of the most capable sales, support, and operations talent anywhere in the world.
What’s changed is the hiring equation. Remote work is now the default for fast-growing teams, especially in sales. Talent no longer has to live in the same city, or even the same continent, to deliver measurable value.
And as companies tighten budgets, shorten hiring cycles, and prioritize execution over polish, underrated markets are becoming the go-to for hungry, skilled professionals who are ready to deliver. Let’s unpack what’s driving this shift, what the data says, and why decentralized hiring models like decentralized talent are gaining ground fast.
Why the old hiring playbook is breaking down
For the last decade, most high-growth companies concentrated their hiring in major urban centers or tried to compete for talent on the same global freelancing platforms. That model is now cracking.
In the U.S., employee turnover in tech and sales roles hit 13.2% in 2024 (up from 10.8% pre-pandemic), according to Mercer’s annual workforce survey. Meanwhile, the average time-to-fill for skilled SDR roles is over 60 days, depending on location. Compensation, retention, and productivity gaps are forcing companies to rethink their assumptions.
Founders aren’t just asking “who can I afford?”—they’re asking “where do I find people who can ramp fast, commit longer, and execute without being micromanaged?” That question is driving a massive shift in sourcing strategy, away from high-churn hubs and toward global talent ecosystems with deeper pools and better fundamentals.
The rise of new talent markets
Global hiring isn’t new, but the urgency and infrastructure behind it have changed dramatically. According to Deel’s Global Hiring Report 2025, hiring from emerging markets like the Balkans, Africa, and Southeast Asia grew by over 90% year-over-year. The biggest growth category? Revenue operations and outbound sales roles.
What’s fueling this? Three key factors:
- Cost-efficiency no longer means compromise. The quality of talent in overlooked regions has soared thanks to international education, strong English literacy, and wide exposure to SaaS, remote tooling, and U.S. business culture.
- Remote onboarding has matured. It’s now easier than ever to bring on global team members with full documentation, payroll compliance, and integrated workflows, even for non-technical roles.
- The best hires want global work. In markets like Kosovo, Colombia, and Kenya, ambitious graduates see remote sales and support roles as high-prestige career paths, not fallback options.
For companies willing to rethink where they hire, the talent advantage in 2025 isn’t just accessible; it’s undeniable.
Kosovo: A hidden gem for sales and support teams
Kosovo is quietly becoming one of Europe’s best-kept hiring secrets. With over 70% of the population under the age of 35 and strong English-language education across universities, the country is producing a steady stream of business-ready talent.
The European Training Foundation highlights Kosovo as one of the few non-EU countries with formal digital skills initiatives at the national level, including free certification programs in cloud computing, sales automation, and CRM platforms.
What makes Kosovo truly competitive, however, is its alignment with U.S. business needs. Most candidates are fluent in English, have experience working for American clients, and are trained in tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack.
Cultural familiarity with Western work environments gained through years of outsourcing, international NGOs, and diaspora ties has created a workforce that can plug directly into your team with minimal onboarding friction.
Hiring in Kosovo also brings practical advantages. Time zone overlap allows for synchronous collaboration with both East Coast and Central European teams. Cost structures are also lean, as senior SDRs can be hired at 40–60% lower total cost than their U.S. counterparts, without compromising on skills or ambition.

What makes the DeTal model different
This is where the DeTal (Decentralized Talent) model comes into play. Unlike traditional outsourcing or marketplaces, DeTal is about building distributed teams, not transactional contracts. It’s designed for startups and growing companies that want long-term contributors, not just temporary freelancers.
The DeTal model emphasizes:
- Pre-vetted talent trained on modern systems
- Clear communication norms and onboarding SOPs
- Integration into Slack, CRM, and performance tooling
- Flexible scaling with low overhead
It also re-centers control: instead of offloading entire functions to BPOs, companies using DeTal-style hiring maintain visibility, ownership, and cultural cohesion while gaining access to talent pools their competitors still underestimate.
At Conquer, for example, several clients are running remote SDR and support pods built entirely on the DeTal model, reporting equal or better performance than in-house hires after just 60 days. What’s changed is the structure: better onboarding, stronger tooling, and consistent management rhythm make distributed teams not just possible, but preferable.
Emerging hiring hotspots to watch
Kosovo is just one part of the global map. Other regions are seeing explosive growth in global-ready talent, especially for sales, marketing, and support roles.
1. Colombia
In Colombia, the government has invested heavily in English training and digital literacy. Medellín and Bogotá are now home to hundreds of remote-first professionals working for U.S. SaaS and marketing companies. Deel reports a 59% year-over-year rise in Colombia-based hires, particularly in RevOps and SDR positions.
2. Kenya
Kenya is another standout. With one of the highest English proficiency rates in Africa and a fast-growing tech training sector (spearheaded by programs like Moringa School), Kenya is becoming a key player for U.S. companies hiring in technical support and customer-facing roles.
3. Philippines
The Philippines remains a powerhouse for support and process-driven roles, but is now expanding into outbound sales. More reps are being trained to handle LinkedIn outreach, SDR sequencing, and B2B pipeline development with U.S.-style KPIs.
What founders are getting wrong (and how to fix it)
Many teams still approach global hiring with outdated assumptions: that talent in emerging markets needs heavy hand-holding, that you have to compromise on quality to save on costs, or that BPOs are the only way to scale.
The reality is different. The strongest global teams in 2025 are being built by founders who invest in process design, remote coaching infrastructure, and smart hiring partnerships. Instead of hiring only locally and patching things with contractors, they’re building remote-first teams that operate as true extensions of their core business.
What they get right:
- They prioritize clarity over micromanagement with clear metrics, ownership, and documentation
- They invest in onboarding. Not just tools, but norms, rhythm, and feedback loops
- They choose hiring models that flex, like DeTal, which blends the speed of outsourcing with the reliability of internal hiring
It’s not about finding cheaper labor, it’s about building better teams, in smarter places, with the right systems to help them thrive.
Final thoughts
In 2025, the best hire for your sales team might not be in your city or even your continent. But if you know where to look, you’ll find professionals who are motivated, skilled, and ready to make an impact.
Kosovo is one of those places. So are parts of East Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. What they have in common isn’t just affordability. It’s drive, readiness, and the infrastructure to integrate globally.
Companies that adapt early will win. Those that don’t will be stuck competing in the same crowded job markets, paying more to get less. Ultimately, the future of hiring isn’t local. It’s distributed, strategic, and decentralized. And the smartest teams already know where to look. Want to learn more about DeTal? Contact us to get a free quote for your company!