Companies wish to hire virtual assistants (VAs) to value the extent of their reach and productivity. With its vast pool of talented and qualified professionals, the Philippines stands out as a prime location for finding the perfect VA for your needs.
However, navigating the hiring process can be a maze – legal hurdles, complex benefits structures, and a web of tax regulations can slow you down.
Here, we’ll guide you on how you can hire virtual assistants from the Philippines that would help you build a global workforce that propels your business forward.
Why hire virtual assistants?
Virtual assistants perform multiple job roles and responsibilities. From assisting in troubleshooting to answering customers’ queries, they can play multiple roles. The country provides good, skilled professionals who meet the requirements of global employers.
Let us look at why you must hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines.
Why the Philippines is one of the top destinations to hire virtual assistants?
The Philippines has become one of the top destinations to hire virtual assistants. Skilled professionals, educational background, and compatibility with a global workforce culture are some of the prominent reasons the country has become a hub.
Skills of VAs
Filipino VAs are good at multiple skills, including –
- Time management
- Customer service
- Social media management
- Technical skills
- Data entry
- Email management
- Calendar management
English proficiency
Filipino workers have a good command of the English language, as English is the joint official language of the Philippines. The education is based on English, and the degree-level studies are conducted in English. As a result, the naturally built proficiency helps swift communication.
Affordable workforce
Filipino virtual assistants’ salaries range comparatively lower than in any other developed country. Global employers hire virtual assistants from the Philippines at the most affordable package. For example, the salary of virtual assistants in the Philippines is 75% lower than the employee salary in the USA. The affordability of skilled professionals is one of the major reasons that global employers prefer to hire VAs from the Philippines.
Compatibility with a global work culture
Filipino professionals are equipped with Western culture. The adaptability and flexibility in cultural norms keep them ahead. They are also dedicated and committed to their responsibilities.
How do you hire VAs from the Philippines?
Multiple channels of hiring channels are available for global employers, including traditional recruitment agencies, social media platforms, and other international job platforms. Every channel comes with pros and cons depending on their hiring process.
Traditional recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies help you hire virtual assistants from the Philippines for permanent and full-time positions as they have a database of similar profiles.
Pros
Expertise network: Recruitment agencies have access to a vast pool of qualified candidates and possess industry-specific knowledge.
Thorough process: Reputable recruitment agencies have a thorough screening process to ensure candidates meet the job requirements and qualifications.
Cons
Cost: Recruitment agency fees can be significant, typically a percentage of the hired candidate’s annual salary.
Loss of control: By outsourcing recruitment, you relinquish some control over the hiring process. Hired candidates might engage with multiple clients, and quality may be compromised.
Social media platform
Professional social media platforms like LinkedIn are an effective channel to hire virtual assistants from the Philippines.
Pros
Professional network: A LinkedIn-like platform provides you access to incredible professionals from the Philippines.
Direct communication: You can directly communicate and connect with professional VAs.
Cons
Time commitment: Sourcing and screening candidates on LinkedIn can be time-consuming, especially if you need to review a large number of profiles and conduct interviews.
Limited access: Limited professionals on LinkedIn are actively looking for new job opportunities.
International job portals
International job portals like Indeed Worldwide, Monster, etc, allow you to advertise your job position based on your requirements.
Pros
Region-specific: The platforms connect businesses with VAs, offering a targeted talent pool with potential cultural and time zone alignment.
Systematic process: The process from screening to hiring is streamlined.
Cons
Limited customization: These portals have limited customization to meet the requirements of employers.
Fewer service options: The service options are limited; they only focus on hiring.
Entity setup
A business entity setup is another option to hire virtual assistants from the Philippines. There are multiple phases required to complete the setup in the targeted country.
Pros
Limited liability: A key advantage of a business entity is limited liability.
Tax benefits: Depending on the chosen entity structure, you might benefit from certain tax advantages.
Cons
Highly expensive: A business entity setup requires huge expenses.
Administrative burden: Maintaining a separate legal entity involves additional paperwork and administrative tasks.
How do you pay your VA employees in the Philippines?
Recruitment agencies or outsourcing companies support the hiring process of VAs in the Philippines. However, those agencies do not help you with the payroll and compliance process. Here, an Employer of Record (EOR) can help you pay your employees.
EOR service providers assist you in calculating the compensation, benefits, and taxation and manage the attendance and leave sheets of your employees. The platform also supports compliance based on local labor laws.
A major advantage of using an Employer of Record (EOR) is the support they provide in managing employee salaries, leaves, and holidays according to local labor laws. If you want to learn more about the employees’ salaries, leaves, and holidays in detail, check the guide Hiring in the Philippines.
The platform takes a significant burden off your shoulders, ensuring compliance with complex regulations.
However, the significant drawback is that EOR does not help you in the recruitment process. It helps manage employees’ payroll and reduce legal risks during the hiring and onboarding processes.
The best option is to work with an EOR like Global Squirrels, which supports hiring candidates from multiple countries and is unique among other EOR service providers. Visit Global Squirrels and find the right Filipino candidates, as well as the onboarding, payroll, and compliance process.
Global Squirrels: Hire and pay your VAs in the Philippines
Global Squirrels is one of the top and most innovative EOR platforms that offers support to hire top-tier virtual assistants from the Philippines. The platform allows employers to access the VA profiles, assist in scheduling interviews, and generate automated offer letters and onboarding legal procedures – the platform keeps everything organized and systematic.
With hiring, the platform also supports payroll, including compensation and benefits calculation, leave management, and attendance tracking, as per the countries’ employment laws and regulations. It further assists you in compliance, including support in Philippine labor laws, local tax regulations, and other statutory benefits.
Why Global Squirrels, not other EOR platforms?
Global Squirrels provides comprehensive services under one platform.
- One of the innovative EOR platforms that provides finding, hiring, and onboard the right talent
- Auto-generated employee legal contract
- Offboarding with country law
- HR support for employers and employees
- We don’t charge extra on workers’ benefits
- Complete control of employees
- The platform offers flexible partnership
- We don’t charge any contract-ending fees
Global Squirrels offers a comprehensive charge for hiring, EOR, and payroll – an all-in-one platform that ensures that from hiring to payroll, we manage everything on your behalf. Furthermore, we manage only recruitment services and payroll services under separate plans. To understand the fees and benefits, check our pricing plan.
For further information, Schedule a Demo with us!
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Philippines offers a rich talent pool of VAs to empower your business. Hire virtual assistants from the Philippines, which involves multiple phases – finding the right talent, screening, interviews, onboarding, payroll, and compliance. EORs typically don’t handle the initial hiring process itself. You’ll need to manage the search and selection of qualified candidates. On the other hand, efficient EOR platforms like Global Squirrels streamline your search for the best talent, simplify payroll management, and ensure compliance by removing risks – all while connecting you with top Filipino VAs.
