Using Talent Intelligence to Guide EMEA Location Strategy

The Challenge

A global technology company was preparing to expand its presence in EMEA by opening a new hybrid location in a lower-cost city. The new site would support continued regional growth and provide access to sales and service-support talent.

Before committing capital, the company needed a clearer view of which markets could support its hiring goals over the long term.

Labor cost was an important consideration, but it was only one part of the decision. Talent availability, language capabilities, education levels, operating costs, and regional risk varied considerably from one country to the next. A market that appeared attractive based on salary data alone could present challenges related to workforce supply, infrastructure, or business conditions.

LevelUP conducted a detailed market analysis to help the company compare its options and develop a shortlist of viable locations.

The client needed to identify EMEA markets that could offer:

• A strong supply of sales and service-support professionals
• Relevant language skills and education levels
• Competitive labor and operating costs
• Favorable conditions for establishing a hybrid location
• An acceptable level of economic and geopolitical risk

The findings also needed to be clear enough to support conversations with the C-suite and inform decisions across facilities, legal, finance, risk, and talent acquisition.

Our Approach

As the client’s RPO and talent acquisition partner, LevelUP assessed potential locations across three primary areas: talent, cost, and risk.

Talent Availability

The analysis examined the size and composition of the available workforce in each market, including:

• Talent pool availability
• Unemployment and labor participation rates
• Language capabilities
• Education levels
• Relevant sales and service-support experience

This helped the client understand not only where talent was located, but whether each market could support the specific roles required for the new operation.

Cost Considerations

LevelUP compared the broader cost of establishing and maintaining a presence in each location. The assessment included:

• Labor costs
• Cost of doing business
• Tax structures
• Other market-specific operating considerations

Looking beyond salary benchmarks gave the client a more complete picture of the financial implications associated with each market.

Regional Risk

The research also considered factors that could affect the stability and long-term viability of the proposed location, including:

• Economic conditions
• Geopolitical risk
• Employment regulations
• Business protections
• Infrastructure and operating constraints
  
  

A Flexible Market Scorecard

LevelUP sourced and standardized international market data to support direct comparisons across countries.

Each location was evaluated using a detailed scorecard. Rather than applying a fixed ranking model, LevelUP worked with stakeholders to adjust the weighting of different criteria as business priorities developed.

For example, the company could place greater emphasis on language availability, labor cost, or market stability and see how those changes affected the overall shortlist.

This gave executives a practical way to test different scenarios and evaluate trade-offs before making a final investment decision.

The Results

The analysis provided the client with a shortlist of viable EMEA markets supported by clear, comparable evidence.

The recommendations helped the company move forward with planning across:

• Facilities and site selection
• Talent acquisition
• Legal and regulatory requirements
• Local community engagement
• Financial and risk assessment

By bringing talent, cost, and risk into one view, the client was able to assess where a new location could be established competitively and where the workforce could support future growth.

Make Talent Part of the Location Decision

Market expansion decisions often begin with real estate and operating costs. Talent intelligence helps determine whether a location can also provide the skills, workforce capacity, and hiring conditions required to succeed.

LevelUP’s market analysis services help organizations compare locations, assess workforce availability, benchmark costs, and identify potential hiring risks before entering a new market.