Employment models
In India, most professional hiring is permanent employment with statutory benefits (Provident Fund, gratuity, paid leave), or fixed-term contracts for project work. Contractor engagements are common but carry misclassification risk if used for long-term, full-time work.
In the US, the two dominant models are W-2 employment (the employee is on your, or a partner’s, payroll with taxes withheld) and corp-to-corp / 1099 contracting (an independent contractor or their company invoices you). Benefits are not statutory the way they are in India, health insurance, retirement, and paid leave are employer-defined.
Compensation
Indian compensation is quoted as an annual CTC (cost to company) in INR, often bundling base, variable, and benefits. US compensation is quoted as a base salary in USD, frequently with separate bonus, equity, and for sales, OTE (on-target earnings).
Absolute numbers differ substantially, but so does cost of living and expectation. The right approach is to benchmark to the specific city and level in each market rather than converting one to the other.
Notice periods and time-to-hire
Notice periods are one of the biggest surprises for US employers hiring in India: 60 to 90 days is standard for experienced professionals, versus the US norm of two weeks (and often immediate, at-will). This dramatically changes start-date planning.
Sourcing and interviewing timelines are broadly similar, a vetted shortlist in about a week is realistic in both markets, but the gap between offer and start date is much longer in India because of notice periods.
Compliance and payroll
India requires statutory registrations and contributions (PF, ESI where applicable, professional tax) and compliant employment contracts. The US requires correct worker classification, state-by-state employment and tax compliance, and, for non-citizens, work authorization.
This is where a partner earns its keep: NexHires handles INR payroll and statutory compliance in India, and W-2 or corp-to-corp engagement across all 50 US states, so you do not have to build that muscle in-house.
When to hire where
Hire in India for deep engineering, data, and support talent at scale and favourable cost, especially for teams and GCCs. Hire in the US for market-facing roles, senior leadership close to customers, and functions that must sit in-country. Many companies do both, and run them from one pipeline.