Illuminate case study
Illuminate: international expansion talent research for a large technology company
The Talent Foundation delivered a multi-market talent intelligence package for a large technology company planning international expansion. The research covered talent supply, compensation norms, competitive hiring activity, and legal context across several locations. The output was a prioritized expansion strategy document. The company used it to sequence which markets to enter and build out their hiring plan.
Context
A large technology company was evaluating international expansion into multiple new markets. Before committing to a hiring plan or opening offices, the company needed to understand what hiring would actually look like in each location. The company had not previously operated in these markets. Internal talent data did not cover them.
Challenge
Making expansion decisions without reliable talent market data is a common way to misallocate capital. The company needed to know: Is the candidate supply there? What does competitive compensation look like? Who else is hiring in these markets, and for what? What are the legal and cultural considerations that affect how you hire?
They needed answers to those questions across several international locations, simultaneously, before locking in a plan. Getting that research done in-house would have required time and regional expertise the team did not have.
Approach
The Talent Foundation conducted a multi-market talent intelligence project covering each target location. For each market, the research covered:
- Talent supply: estimated pool size for the required skills, depth of the local candidate market, and education pipeline feeding into it
- Compensation: local market rates and how they compared to the company's existing pay structures
- Competitive landscape: which employers were active in each market, what roles they were hiring for, and what that meant for candidate availability
- Labor and regulatory context: local employment law considerations relevant to hiring approach
- Cultural factors affecting how candidates evaluate and accept offers
Results
The Talent Foundation compiled findings into a research report for each market, then produced an expansion strategy document with prioritized recommendations. The recommendations were ranked by talent market readiness, competitive intensity, and alignment with the company's hiring timeline.
The research gave the company a factual basis for prioritizing which markets to enter first and what hiring conditions to expect in each. The company's hiring plan for new locations was built on the research from The Talent Foundation.
The engagement produced two deliverables: a market-by-market research report and a prioritized recommendations document. Both were delivered in 2023.
No specific market names are cited. Naming them would narrow identification of the client, which is not appropriate here.
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