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Three in Five Small Business Owners Say Rising Costs Will Force Them to Cut Staff in 2025

Updated on : 04 Aug 2025

Small Businesses Are Feeling the Squeeze

A recent VirtualStaff.ph survey found that 61% of small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners in the U.S., UK, and Australia are struggling with rising labor costs. Many say they have no choice but to freeze hiring, delay expansion, or even let go of staff.

This isn’t just a temporary issue. The cost of hiring in-house employees is climbing faster than revenue for many companies, leaving business owners with tough decisions:

  • Absorb the extra costs, cutting into profit margins
  • Scale back hiring and risk losing competitive momentum
  • Find a smarter, more cost-effective way to build their teams

As inflation continues to drive up wages, businesses must adapt or risk falling behind. That’s why over 25,000 companies worldwide are shifting their hiring strategy and building remote teams in the Philippines to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.

The Hidden Costs of Hiring Locally vs. Hiring Overseas

The financial burden of hiring locally is growing year over year:

  • 14% increase in employee costs (salaries, taxes, and benefits) compared to last year
  • The true cost of hiring a full-time employee in the U.S. or UK is 3- 5X higher than hiring a skilled professional in the Philippines
  • Labor and compliance costs are now one of the biggest expenses for SMBs

But here’s what smart businesses have realized:

By hiring global talent, they can access highly skilled professionals at a fraction of the cost, without cutting corners. Businesses using VirtualStaff.ph are saving up to 70% on labor and compliance costs, all while building long-term, high-performing teams that drive real business growth.

Why 25,000+ Businesses Trust VirtualStaff.ph for Hiring in the Philippines

Hiring globally can seem complicated, but VirtualStaff.ph makes it easy. Unlike traditional outsourcing agencies, we don’t charge salary markups or take a cut of what you pay your team. Unlike freelancer marketplaces, we help you build dedicated, full-time teams - NOT just short-term gig workers.

With VirtualStaff.ph, businesses can:

  • Find and hire top-tier Filipino talent in any industry (Virtual Assistants, Customer Support, Accountants, Marketers, Developers, and more)
  • Manage payroll, benefits, and compliance, without the legal risks
  • Hire as independent contractors or full-time employees with social security, healthcare, and tax compliance covered
  • Scale their team up or down with complete flexibility

It’s no wonder over 1 million vetted Filipino professionals have joined VirtualStaff.ph, the largest hiring and payroll platform built exclusively for businesses that want to build affordable teams in the Philippines.

Cost Savings: The Numbers Speak for Themselves

Every year, VirtualStaff.ph saves businesses over $2 billion in labor and compliance costs.

Here’s what this means for small businesses:

  • A full-time employee in the U.S. can cost $50,000+ per year in salary, benefits, and taxes
  • The same position in the Philippines, with equally skilled talent, costs 70% less
  • Businesses using VirtualStaff.ph save an average of $35,000+ per employee per year

That’s money that can be reinvested into growth, marketing, product development, or additional hiring.

Scaling a Business Without Financial Strain

The old way of hiring - expensive salaries, endless paperwork, and compliance headaches - isn’t sustainable anymore. That’s why businesses worldwide are turning to remote hiring as the smarter alternative.

With VirtualStaff.ph, companies don’t just save money; they gain access to a global workforce that helps them scale faster, increase profitability, and stay competitive.

Here’s what sets VirtualStaff.ph apart from traditional hiring models:

Three in Five Small Business Owners Say Rising Costs Will Force Them to Cut Staff in 2025


Your Competitors Are Already Hiring in the Philippines - Are You?

The world of work has changed. Businesses that embrace global hiring will have a competitive edge; those who don’t risk falling behind.

  • Inflation is driving up costs; hiring locally is becoming unsustainable
  • Hiring remote teams allows businesses to scale while keeping costs low
  • Over 25,000 companies worldwide trust VirtualStaff.ph for hiring in the Philippines

Don’t let rising costs slow you down. Create your account today and see how VirtualStaff.ph can help you hire top talent, cut costs, and build a long-term, high-performing team without the headaches.

One Seat away from reliable, affordable staff.

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Amaiya

Amaiya is the Content Marketing Manager at VirtualStaff.ph, responsible for shaping the platform’s messaging and educational content across blogs, guides, and thought leadership. 


After seeing business owners struggle with inflated markups, recruiter driven hiring, and unreliable offshore models, VirtualStaff.ph set out to build something different. Not another job board, not another BPO, but a system.


The result was VirtualStaff Seats, a plug and play way for businesses to build dependable, full time back office teams in the Philippines without salary padding, outsourcing firm markups, or long term lock ins.


Through VirtualStaff Seats, businesses can add reliable Filipino staff directly into their operations one Seat at a time for roles like customer support, admin, billing, bookkeeping, and back office operations.


Today, businesses across the US, Australia, and the UK use the VirtualStaff Seat System to build stable, long term teams that simply work while staying in full control.

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