Ontop Launches AI Engine to Redefine Global Hiring and Compliance in 2025

Remote work has become a long-term standard, not a temporary adjustment, and Ontop is positioning itself at the center of this shift. As companies across the U.S. and Latin America redefine global hiring and payroll, the platform is introducing an AI-driven model designed to simplify compliance, boost efficiency, and accelerate cross-border talent acquisition.

Hybrid and Remote Models Stabilize in the U.S.

By 2025, remote-capable employees in the U.S. have largely settled into stable work patterns. Hybrid models represent roughly 52% of the workforce, while 26–30% operate fully remotely and the remainder remain on-site. These numbers have remained essentially unchanged since 2022.

Despite concerns early in the decade, productivity has remained strong. In Q2 2025, U.S. nonfarm business productivity rose 3.3% at an annualized quarterly rate, while unit labor costs grew just 1.0%, reinforcing that flexible arrangements can thrive without undermining output.

Labor Conditions in LATAM: Uneven Growth and Persistent Informality

In Latin America, the employment landscape is more heterogeneous. Regional unemployment averages 5.8%–6.2%, and informality remains near 47% of total employment, a barrier that complicates formal hiring, retention, and long-term workforce development.

Yet global remote hiring continues gaining traction. By 2024, 82% of hires on global platforms were for remote roles, and in 2025, demand for flexibility continues rising. In the U.S., hybrid roles already account for 24% of new listings and fully remote roles for 12%, with candidate interest far exceeding supply.

A New Regulatory Push Toward Nearshoring

A major shift arrived on September 21, 2025, when the U.S. government implemented a US$100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions, excluding extensions with the same employer. The decision, currently under legal scrutiny, has immediate consequences for companies in the Sun Belt competing for global talent.

As on-shoring costs increase, remote nearshoring in LATAM becomes more attractive, driven by time-zone alignment, deeper talent pools, and faster hiring cycles.

Ontop Unveils Ontop AI: A Single End-to-End Global Hiring Flow

Against this backdrop, Ontop is introducing Ontop AI, a system the company describes not as a standalone feature, but as the engine powering its entire end-to-end workflow.

The AI architecture integrates:

• Contract generation
• Multijurisdictional compliance
• Cross-border payments

All within a seamless process guided by AI agents that flag risks and minimize errors. According to the company, the solution reflects five years of operational insights with teams and contractors in more than 150 countries.

This strategic shift follows leadership changes: after becoming CEO in July 2024, Julián Torres, the company’s sole active cofounder, refocused the business on scalable, healthy unit economics. Ontop states that it has been profitable since 2025.

“The global reality is clear: employers are increasingly hiring talent across LATAM, EMEA, and APAC for time-zone alignment, cost efficiency, and technical depth,” said Torres. “Work already operates on a global footing.”

Infrastructure: Real-Time Payments and Embedded Finance

Ontop highlights several infrastructure advancements that enable instant, compliant payments worldwide:

• Real-time global payouts through partners such as Thunes
• Local currency and USD payments for remote workers
• Ontop Card, built with Visa, Thredd, and Payblr for spending, balance management, and everyday transactions
• Modernbanc integration to strengthen accounting, reporting, and real-time analytics

These tools support an operation that now processes more than US$1 billion in international payroll, serving thousands of companies and tens of thousands of workers with nearly 250,000 monthly transactions.

Why It Matters: Compliance, Visibility, and Talent Access

For HR and Finance teams worldwide, Ontop’s message emphasizes two critical points:

Compliance as a Competitive Edge

With varying labor and tax frameworks across the U.S., LATAM, EMEA, and APAC, consolidating the “hire–comply–pay” cycle into a single auditable workflow reduces risk and eliminates manual reconciliations. The outcome: smoother HR operations and greater financial visibility.

A Better Employee Experience Lowers Churn

Instant salary payouts, digital wallets, and global cards reduce everyday friction for workers, improving liquidity and boosting retention. As remote and hybrid models become the norm, these expectations are increasingly non-negotiable.

A Global Workforce Future

Ontop’s positioning is straightforward: global hiring should function as a unified, compliant, and immediate process. With productivity trends holding steady, regulations shifting, and payment rails evolving, the companies that succeed will be those capable of hiring across multiple countries, paying instantly, and maintaining full regulatory confidence.

If global work is already the default, Ontop argues, businesses must be ready to operate on that scale today, not years from now.