04/05/2026
In April’s Research of the Month, we’re looking at Mercer’s Global Talent Trends 2026 – a report from one of the world’s most influential HR and rewards consultancies. Mercer advises thousands of employers on compensation, benefits and workforce strategy.
Global Talent Trends 2026 discusses the ‘human-machine equation’ to uncover how businesses reimagine work, skills and compensation at the AI age and disruption. Critically, the study goes beyond corporate offices and examines employees and freelancers in remote work settings.
Mercer found a growing divide between in-office and remote workers. While the former thrive, the latter often cope with work. This is felt through smaller merit increases, slower progression and, in many cases, a poorer overall experience than their in‑office peers.
In particular, these themes from Mercer’s 2026 research translate directly into the daily reality of global teams and the people they hire as contractors and freelancers:
In-house full‑timers get structured reviews and raises while freelancers face shifting rates and on‑the‑spot decisions.
What was once framed as a perk now often feels like isolation, with in‑house teams getting HR attention while remote contractors sit at the edge of pay and workload conversations.
Employees may feel a full package of salary, benefits and perks, but contractors mostly feel one thing: clear terms and money that arrives in full and on time.
As a startup working in global payroll, we couldn’t agree more. Trust in remote work boils down to this simple question: ‘will I be paid fairly, fully and on time?’
When remote workers report poorer experiences and higher uncertainty, a large part of that experience is transactional. They do not see how decisions are made. They do not see what is happening with their pay until it reaches them — or why it doesn’t.
The team of EasyStaff is remote, and each of us knows how important a predictable remote pay really is. Through streamlined payroll and contractor payments businesses demonstrate respect and care for people who contribute their 100% even if they will never set foot in your office.
In a world where compensation planning is getting more complex, we choose to simplify the part that matters most to contractors: knowing where their money is, when it will arrive and that it will arrive in full.
If Mercer’s 2026 trends are about navigating the fog, our ambition at EasyStaff Payroll is to make the path from ‘invoice sent → payment received’ visible for remote teams and global talent.
We at EasyStaff Payroll loved the report — read it too: https://www.mercer.com/insights/people-strategy/future-of-work/global-talent-trends/
