Wilmington, DE -- (SBWire) -- 12/21/2011 --Since hiring fresh in-house employees can be definitely cost-prohibitive, the next best – and cheap – alternative is to outsource. Not to freelancers but to full-time dedicated remote employees, who cost a company nothing more than their salary.

Luckily, the outsourcing industry has now helped the ubiquitous freelancer evolve into what is known as the remote employee or the virtual employee. This remote employee scores over an in-house employee in more ways than one.

1.A virtual employee costs less than an in-house employee. A software developer, a legal expert or even an accountant costs far more in terms of salary when compared to a similarly qualified professional from, say India. So, a company obviously stands to gain both, in terms of cost savings as well as exceptional skill and talent, in hiring a dedicated full-time virtual employee from India instead of recruiting somebody in-house. In other words, for the cost of a fresher back home you can easily hire a full-time experienced professional in the same domain.

2.A virtual employee works from an outsourcing vendor's well-equipped office, and so the vendor's office effectively acts as the offshore extension of the client's office in a foreign country. Opening a new offshore office in a new country can send costs skyrocketing but outsourcing to a dedicated full-time employee helps a company capture a double bonanza.

3.A company need not bother with issues like employment taxes, benefits, pension, gratuity etc with a virtual employee. An in-house employee demands more than just a pay packet at the end of each month. There are the 'unseen' expenses that silently eat away into a company's resources – like the aforementioned aspects such as taxes and employee benefits. Plus, every in-house employee also needs office space, a separate set of hardware, software, and other office accessories – all of which translate into expense.

4.Scaling up and down the team size with a virtual employee is far easier and less problematic than with an in-house employee. The thought of terminating an in-house employee's services fill most employers with dread and trepidation, with the threat of a lawsuit always lurking in the background. Scaling up can be cost-prohibitive while scaling down can cost you even more in the long run if the disgruntled employee should initiate legal proceedings against your company on grounds of unfair termination of services.

5.Quick access to skilled and talented employees who come with limited HR overheads and investments. Outsourcing has opened the door to a vast talent pool in countries where skill and expertise is high and the low cost of hiring such talent is its most attractive aspect. A gifted content writer, a trouble-shooting website developer, a quick-thinking accountant – all can be working for you, albeit remotely, all without disturbing your overheads' status quo.

A dedicated remote employee is a wonderfully flexible resource, who can work the same hours as the client, can be trained and instructed on exactly what is expected from them, works steadily and dedicatedly – and, best of all, costs so much less than an in-house employee.