By region
Where to Hire: Philippines, Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia
The region you hire from decides how many hours you share with your hire each day, which languages they bring, and which roles are easiest to fill. Start with the overlap the role needs, then the talent pool.
| Region | Time zones vs US Eastern | Overlap with a US workday | Typical role fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Philippines The Philippines | Manila: 13 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 12 in summer | Little natural daytime overlap: 9 a.m. in New York is 9 or 10 p.m. in Manila. Many Filipino professionals work US hours as a matter of course; agree the shift in writing, or use the gap for overnight work that is ready by morning. | Executive and virtual assistants, Customer support, Bookkeeping and admin, Content, social and design |
| Latin America Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and neighbors | Mexico City: 1 hour behind US Eastern in winter, 2 in summer Bogotá: Same as US Eastern in winter, 1 hour behind in summer Buenos Aires and São Paulo: 2 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 1 in summer | Full or near-full overlap with a US workday. This is the region to choose when the role needs live meetings, calls or pairing. | Software developers, Sales development reps, Marketers and designers, Bilingual customer support |
| Africa South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and neighbors | Lagos: 6 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 5 in summer Johannesburg and Cape Town: 7 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 6 in summer Nairobi: 8 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 7 in summer | A US Eastern morning falls in the African afternoon: 9 a.m. in New York is 3 or 4 p.m. in Johannesburg. Several hours of live overlap with the East Coast without night shifts; less with the West Coast. | Sales and account support, Finance and bookkeeping, Customer experience, Developers and marketers |
| Southeast Asia Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and neighbors | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta and Bangkok: 12 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 11 in summer Kuala Lumpur and Singapore: 13 hours ahead of US Eastern in winter, 12 in summer | Almost no natural daytime overlap: plan for async work with a short overlap at the start or end of someone's day. It is a strength for QA, overnight support and handoff-based engineering. | Software developers, QA testers, Designers and video editors |
US Eastern is UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer; none of the cities listed change their clocks. Check the current difference for your city on timeanddate.com.
Region guides
The Philippines
The most established offshore hiring destination for US companies: English is an official language, and a large outsourcing industry has trained people in US-facing work for decades.
Latin America
The nearshore option: working hours that line up with the US, plus bilingual professionals for teams that sell to or support Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking customers.
Africa
English-speaking talent in growing professional and tech communities, with working hours that overlap US mornings.
Southeast Asia
A broad region with strong engineering and creative communities, working the opposite side of the clock from the US, which suits work that can run overnight.
How to choose a region
- The role needs live calls, meetings or pairing: Latin America, or Africa for East Coast mornings.
- The role can run on handoffs, or you want overnight coverage: the Philippines or Southeast Asia.
- You need someone on US hours whatever the region: say so in the job post and the contract; many Filipino professionals work US shifts as standard.
- You don't want to pick: a staffing firm that recruits in several regions, such as Hire Overseas (Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa), can match the region to the role.
Pay rates differ by country, city and seniority, and change often, so this guide doesn't quote them. Ask for current figures for your exact role from the provider you are considering.