White paper  ·

Outsourcing 101

·

The true cost of onshore vs offshore talent

By

Connext

·

Published on

June 20, 2025

(

Updated:

July 15, 2025

)

·

‍

min read

Compare the real costs of hiring onshore vs offshore talent. Discover how offshoring can optimize budgets and boost performance.

35%

Faster estimate turnaround

$180K

Saved in annual overhead

3 weeks

To onboard estimators

0

Missed bid deadlines

What’s the Real Cost of a $15/hour Employee?

You’re Paying More Than You Think — Find Out Why.

Hiring a U.S.-based employee at $15/hour doesn’t actually cost you $15/hour.

Once you factor in taxes, benefits, IT support, HR admin, office space, recruiting, and compliance — the true cost per employee can jump to $24–$26/hour (or more). That’s nearly double the base wage.

Meanwhile, Connext offshore professionals deliver equivalent performance at $10,5–$12/hour — and that includes:

  • Recruiting and onboarding
  • IT support and secure infrastructure
  • Payroll processing and compliance
  • Admin and HR support
  • Office space and equipment
  • No benefits or hidden overhead

Download the One-Pager: Hidden Truth: Onshore vs Offshore Talent Cost Comparison

This quick-reference guide breaks down the actual annual and hourly cost of hiring a U.S.-based employee versus leveraging offshore talent through Connext. You'll see a side-by-side breakdown that includes:

  • Payroll taxes
  • Workers’ comp
  • IT, HR, and recruiting costs
  • PTO, compliance, admin overhead
  • Total cost per year and per hour

Why This Matters

If your hiring decisions are based purely on hourly wage, you're missing the full picture. This resource helps finance, HR, and operations leaders better understand total organizational costs and where real savings come from — especially in today’s lean, efficiency-driven business environment.

Get the Free Whitepaper now!

Fill out the form and we'll send the full whitepaper straight to your inbox — ready to read offline or share with your team.

The Challenge

A company-wide hiring freeze left the client’s project teams without enough in-house estimators to keep pace with a growing pipeline of construction and engineering bids. In an industry where precise cost estimating is the foundation of effective project budgeting and resource allocation, every delayed estimate risked a missed submission deadline — and a lost contract.

The Approach

Connext matched the client with independent contractors who specialized in construction cost estimating, then helped rebuild a structured, multi-step budgeting process from the ground up:

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“Connext gave us senior-level estimating expertise exactly when our hands were tied on headcount. We hit every bid deadline that quarter — something we weren’t sure was possible.”

VP of Operations, Engineering & Construction Client

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