AI trainer hiring surges as firms tap global talent

Deel reports a sharp rise in cross-border hiring for new AI-related roles and a broader shift towards global talent pools for hard-to-fill jobs, based on analysis of more than one million worker contracts.

The company's 2025 State of Global Hiring report draws on contracts across 37,000 companies in more than 150 countries. The findings point to rapid growth in roles linked to AI systems, alongside continued demand for software developers and other technical workers hired across borders.

AI trainer surge

One of the fastest-moving changes is the rise of AI trainers as a large, widely distributed profession. General AI trainer roles grew 283% cross-border in 2025, making it the fastest-growing role on Deel's platform.

More than 70,000 workers now train AI systems across 600 organisations, according to the report. The work ranges from basic data annotation to specialist feedback in fields such as medicine, economics, and translation.

The geographic spread is uneven. Almost 60% of AI trainers are based in the US. India accounts for 7.2%, followed by the Philippines (4.6%), Canada (2.1%), and Kenya (1.7%).

Australia has a smaller share of the AI trainer workforce, the report suggests, but Australian employers are active buyers of this labour. Australia is the second-largest employer of AI trainers in the Asia-Pacific region, behind Singapore.

Separate research with IDC last November found AI had reshaped hiring for 98% of Australian organisations. Deel said the new report aligns with that picture of changing job design and shifting skill needs.

Beyond low-cost

The report also challenges the idea that international hiring is mainly low-cost outsourcing. Deel analysed nearly 100 start-ups founded between 2020 and 2025 that raised more than USD $100 million, and found cross-border hiring in this group concentrated in high-income countries.

The UK led hires at 12.2%, followed by Canada (11.9%) and Germany (8.8%). Australia ranked at 5.8% and Spain at 5.2%.

Australian data in the report points in the same direction. The US and UK are among the top overseas markets where Australian companies seek talent. Software developers were the most common cross-border hire by Australian companies.

"Software developers were the leading cross-border hire for Australian companies, largely to address local skill shortages," said Lauren Thomas, Global Economist at Deel.

"It is no coincidence these roles have dropped off the national skills shortage list, suggesting global talent pools have helped close the gap," Thomas said.

Thomas argued cross-border hiring can shape labour market outcomes beyond individual firms. "Filling hard-to-source roles benefits individual businesses, but the productivity gains extend further. Persistent skills gaps and poor job matching can weigh on productivity economy-wide. Access to global talent helps reduce that drag."

Australians hired abroad

The report also points to rising cross-border hiring of Australians by overseas employers, without relocation. The US, UK, and Canada were the leading markets hiring Australian workers. Software developers and sales managers were the most in-demand roles for Australians working cross-border.

Canadian employers increased their hiring of Australians by 46%, according to the data. Australia now sits among Canada's top four countries for cross-border talent, while the US remains Canada's largest source of cross-border hires.

The figures add to evidence that remote and distributed employment has become a structural feature of the labour market for certain job types. The contract-based dataset also suggests cross-border work can flow in both directions at once, with Australia simultaneously importing and exporting skilled labour.

Pay patterns

Compensation growth in 2025 concentrated in senior leadership roles across many markets, according to the report, although the drivers of pay rises differed by region and role type.

In the US, leadership and technical roles posted the strongest increases. Project managers led at 24.5%, followed by chief operating officers at 21.6% and chief executive officers at 20%.

Australia and New Zealand showed a different pattern for some roles. Project managers recorded compensation growth of 39.6% in the region, compared with 18.2% for the same role in the UK.

The report frames these regional differences as part of a broader reshaping of skills demand, as companies widen the search for talent across borders and new roles emerge alongside established technical positions. Thomas said access to a global workforce can change how quickly firms respond to skills shortages and job-matching problems.

"Filling hard-to-source roles benefits individual businesses, but the productivity gains extend further. Persistent skills gaps and poor job matching can weigh on productivity economy-wide. Access to global talent helps reduce that drag." - Lauren Thomas, Global Economist at Deel