We gained so much insight from global HR leaders that we’ve produced not one but Global Atlas Reports:
For HR leaders scaling into new markets...
01.REPORT
Global Expansion
Global expansion is hard...
and getting harder
For leaders managing distributed teams...
02.REPORT
Distributed Workforce
Global teams are scaling,
but cohesion is under strain
GLOBAL EXPANSION
Accessing and retaining international talent is now as difficult as setting up global operations
The ultimate goal of international hiring is to access the right talent, in the right place, at the right cost.
However, HR leaders are now finding that accessing and retaining global talent is becoming the main challenge.
You go to the usual suspects, and the usual suspects are saturated. You need to turn around and see the other countries that are more unknown.
Denisse Becerra
Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Atlas HXM
Regulatory uncertainty is accelerating hiring decisions, not slowing them
Immigration policy shifts, visa backlogs, and regulatory tightening have defined the global hiring landscape for several years.
However, what is striking in 2026 is not the presence of volatility, but how organizations are reacting to it.
Distributed Workforce
AI is increasing the demand for human skills, even as human-only work declines
The dominant public narratives around AI in 2026 often focus on job loss.
Our data tells the more nuanced story that AI is shifting the nature of work towards skills that rely on human judgment and interpretation.
That said, automation is not theoretical, with , and at least of HR leaders now use AI for tasks such as researching employment laws, summarizing reports, and evaluating market-specific policies.
Employee engagement is breaking down across global teams
As organizations expand internationally, the human dimension of that growth is becoming harder to sustain.
To build a global team is not a ‘one and done’. Once you make that first international hire, the work on building cohesion has just begun.
Jim McCoy
CEO, Atlas HXM