Why do so many US and Canadian business owners choose to work with Filipino virtual assistants? The easy answer is "because they're cheaper." The real answer is that these businesses are asking a different question entirely: what's the best way to get the talent they need without carrying unnecessary overhead?
The Real Cost of Hiring Locally
Consider the economics. In June 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that private-sector employers were spending an average of $46.89 an hour on total employee compensation — wages and benefits combined. In Canada, the average hourly wage was C$35.20 in 2024, and employers also carry payroll obligations like CPP and Employment Insurance contributions. For 2026, the maximum employer CPP contribution alone can reach C$4,230.45, on top of employer EI premiums.
Not every employee costs exactly that. Compensation varies considerably by role, location, experience, and industry. But the broader point holds: hiring locally can be expensive. For a growing entrepreneur, startup, professional practice, or small business, adding another full-time employee is never just about salary — there's payroll tax, benefits, paid leave, insurance, equipment, office space, recruiting, and HR administration stacked on top.
That's one reason outsourcing and remote staffing have become established business models — and the Philippines isn't new to this. The country's IT-BPM industry has roots going back decades, with multinational companies establishing back-office operations there and the sector expanding significantly from the 2000s onward. It's now more than two decades into its modern outsourcing era.
But What About "America First"?
It's a legitimate position for a business owner to prefer hiring locally. There's nothing wrong with wanting to create jobs in your own community.
But there's another legitimate business consideration: offshoring is not the same thing as breaking the law or avoiding responsibility. Businesses have been sourcing services internationally for decades. The question shouldn't simply be "where is this person located?" It should be: can this professional do the work well, communicate effectively, protect confidential information, work with our systems, and provide the value the business needs at a sustainable cost?
That's where the economics of global talent get interesting. A business owner doesn't necessarily need to pay the full cost of another local hire just to get excellent executive support, operations assistance, research, CRM management, project coordination, content support, or AI-enabled workflow assistance. That capability may be available through a highly skilled remote professional in another country — and that frees up capital for what actually grows the business: product development, sales, marketing, technology, expansion, and hiring where local presence genuinely matters.
Where Advocata Comes In
At Advocata, we don't believe the goal is simply to find the cheapest person available. The goal is to find the right professional with the right skills for the right business.
We help US and Canadian business owners identify Filipino remote professionals who can support:
- Executive and administrative support
- Calendar and inbox management
- Business operations
- CRM and project coordination
- Research and follow-up
- SOPs and workflow management
- Communication and coordination
- Content and social media support
- AI-assisted productivity and automation
And we don't stop at introducing a candidate. We help businesses build and manage a remote support structure that makes sense for their needs and budget — because the economics matter, but so do quality, reliability, communication, judgment, trust, and fit.
That's the real opportunity with global talent. You're not necessarily choosing between a local employee and a "cheap overseas worker." You're choosing between different ways of building your business. And sometimes, the smartest structure is one that combines local talent where local presence matters with global talent where remote expertise makes more economic sense.
That's not lowering the standard. It's changing how the standard is delivered.