TL;DR
Between July 2024 and October 2026, GoAsia Talent helped a US technology company hire 26 people in the Philippines across project management, application systems, technical writing, finance and order management. Hiring took place in successive waves as the client added roles across different functions.
The engagement at a glance
- Client: US technology company.
- Hiring location: Philippines.
- Placements: 26 across five functions.
- Period: July 2024–October 2026.
- Hiring pattern: Successive waves across three calendar years.
Key Overview
- GoAsia Talent has delivery teams on the ground in eight locations across Asia and the Middle East, namely Dubai, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. It also supports clients hiring into China. It recruits across 12 Asian markets in total.
- Each shortlist has 3 to 4 candidates, and every candidate is screened on video for 30 to 45 minutes. The first shortlist arrives in 3 to 5 working days as standard practice.
- 89% of shortlisted candidates were taken to interview this year.
- GoAsia Talent has served around 290 clients and has Western management with more than 20 years of experience operating in Asia.
- According to IBPAP, the Philippine IT and business process management (IT-BPM) industry ended 2024 with 1.82 million jobs and USD 38 billion in revenue, both up 7% on 2023.
How the enquiry came about
The client was referred to GoAsia Talent in mid 2024 by one of the EOR platforms it partners with. The employment arrangements were already in place; the client needed a recruitment partner to find and assess the people who would build the team.
Companies at this stage tend to share the same starting point: no local network, no salary benchmarks and no way to judge candidates in the market. They usually sort out the employment vehicle first and then realise that finding and judging the actual people is the harder problem.
What the client needed
The engagement started with a small first wave of roles and no existing team in the Philippines. There was no 26-hire mandate on day one. Each round of successful hires led to the next, with trust built through delivery as the brief grew.
The placement records do show the shape of the need. This was a build of experienced specialists and delivery managers across several functions, not a leadership search.
How GoAsia Talent approached the build
Salary benchmarks before the search
GoAsia Talent provided salary benchmarks for each role before the search started. That helped the client pitch offers realistically from the first round, with a clear view of the local market before approaching candidates.
Working alongside the EOR
An EOR partner was the employment vehicle throughout the engagement. GoAsia Talent ran the recruitment; the EOR employed the people. GoAsia Talent does not provide EOR, incorporation, payroll or background checks. It advises clients on the best fit for their situation and makes the introductions.
Screened shortlists
Every candidate has been interviewed on video before the client sees them, because GoAsia Talent puts quality of shortlist over volume of CVs. Its Western management delivers to US expectations in a market where local norms differ, which helps a US hiring manager judge candidates they would otherwise struggle to assess.
Reporting to hiring managers
One GoAsia Talent coordinator acted as the single point of contact. Each hiring manager received updates on their own roles, so someone waiting on a finance hire did not have to work through engineering pipeline updates to find the information they needed.
The roles GoAsia Talent filled
The placements fall into five functions.
Seniority ranges from associate and coordinator level up to senior analysts, senior technical writers and programme managers. None of the placements are executive or country-manager roles.
The spread of functions matters more than the headcount. Project delivery, systems, documentation and finance operations each draw on a different candidate pool and need different screening questions, so with one partner handling all of them, every shortlist is judged against the same standard.
How the team grew over time
The placements came in waves rather than as a single block:
- Second half of 2024: nine placements. These were four project management and implementation roles, three senior technical writers and two procurement roles.
- 2025: ten placements. Two came in May. The other eight came between 20 October and 15 December and were mostly order management, collections and credit risk roles, plus a senior application systems analyst.
- 2026 to date: seven placements across accounting, Salesforce administration, programme and implementation management, and application systems.
Taken in order, the records show project delivery and documentation roles leading the first wave, with finance and order management roles following. Each round of hires helped build the trust for the next wave.
The outcome
GoAsia Talent’s placement records show 26 placements, with every candidate recorded as onboarded. Beyond the headcount, the client returned for further waves of hiring in 2025 and 2026, adding new functions as the team grew. That repeat demand is the clearest evidence of an ongoing relationship across three calendar years.
As at October 2026, all 26 placements remain with the client, with no leavers on GoAsia Talent's records. First shortlists were delivered within the standard 3 to 5 working days.
Why US companies build teams in the Philippines
IBPAP, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, attributed the industry's 2024 growth to global demand led by US businesses. A US company hiring there is joining a market with a large workforce that already works for overseas companies.
The Philippines or India?
Many US companies compare the two markets for an offshore team or capability centre. The choice usually depends on the roles, the skills involved, the planned team size and where the company already operates. GoAsia Talent recruits in both, and because its market-entry advice comes before the search, the comparison can be based on evidence.
Who recruits for US companies building teams in the Philippines?
US companies usually choose between five types of provider. The right one depends on whether they want people in their own team or a team provided as a managed service:
- Local Philippine agencies: strong domestic networks, usually focused on one market.
- Global recruitment firms: broad international reach, with the Philippines as one part of a wider business.
- Offshore staffing and BPO firms: they employ the staff and provide the team as a managed service.
- EOR platforms: they act as the legal employer for people who work in the company's team.
- Specialist recruitment partners such as GoAsia Talent: they find and screen candidates, who are then employed by the client directly or through an EOR.
These providers often work together rather than compete. GoAsia Talent, for example, is the recruitment partner to several of the major global EOR platforms, which use it as their APAC hiring arm.
How to judge a recruitment partner for a Philippines build
Five questions will quickly show whether a partner can build a team or only fill single roles:
- Do you have people on the ground in the Philippines?
- How are candidates screened before I see them, and how many will I see per role?
- Can you show me builds like mine, across several functions?
- Are you neutral on the employment vehicle?
- Will you benchmark salaries before the search starts?
Vague answers on screening and shortlist size are the clearest warning sign, because those two factors decide how much of your hiring managers' time the search will take.
Starting a Philippines build with GoAsia Talent
Planning your first hires or expanding a team in the Philippines? Speak to GoAsia Talent about the roles you need, your hiring timeline and the support your hiring managers require.
If you’re a US-based company looking to build a team in the Philippines, tell us about your hiring plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GoAsia Talent a good recruitment agency for hiring in the Philippines?
There are three things to weigh: a multi-function team built for a US technology company over several hiring waves, a delivery team on the ground in the Philippines, and a screening process designed to keep shortlists short. The fairest test is to ask GoAsia Talent to walk you through engagements like yours and to benchmark your roles before you commit.
Can we hire in the Philippines without a local entity?
Yes, and most companies do. The usual route is an employer of record (EOR): they become the legal employer and handle payroll and compliance, while the person works in your team, under your management, day to day.
Worth knowing, an EOR employs the person once you’ve chosen them; it doesn’t find them. That’s the part GoAsia Talent handles, and we’ll point you to the right employment partner for your situation.
Does GoAsia Talent provide EOR or payroll in the Philippines?
No. GoAsia Talent works with partners in EOR, incorporation, payroll and background checks, advises on the best fit and makes the introductions.
Can GoAsia Talent work alongside the EOR we already use?
Typically, yes. GoAsia Talent finds and screens the people and your chosen employment vehicle employs them, so an existing EOR relationship does not need to change.
Can we hire specialist roles in the Philippines, not just support roles?
Yes. This build included project managers, application systems analysts and senior technical writers, and GoAsia Talent covers every sector, role type and seniority in its markets.
Can GoAsia Talent handle a larger build?
Yes. Its work ranges from a first country manager to a 200-person capability centre in India, so a larger Philippines team is a familiar kind of engagement.
What affects how quickly a shortlist arrives?
Seniority, how specialised the skills are and how closely the salary matches the market all play a part. The shortlist timeframe is standard practice rather than a promise, which is one reason the salary benchmark comes first.
What do you need from us to start a Philippines search?
Bring the roles you need, the planned team size, your timescale and your employment vehicle if you have already chosen one. The first step is usually a salary benchmark, before any candidates are approached.
Planning your first hires or looking to build out a team in the Philippines? Speak to GoAsia Talent about the skills you need, your hiring timeline and how the team will work with your existing operation here.
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