Best Countries in Europe to Hire Sales Talent (2026)

For a US or UK company that wants remote sales talent selling in English, the best countries in Europe to hire from in 2026 are Portugal, Poland and Romania, with Croatia and Bulgaria close behind. Portugal gives the most overlap with the US East Coast (three hours of a standard working day) with top-ten English and labor costs at 56% of the EU average. Poland has the deepest sales market in Central Europe: 47 of the sales roles on our board in the last two months named it. Romania has the lowest cost among countries with top-15 English, at €13.6 an hour against an EU average of €34.9. If your buyers speak German, Spanish or Dutch, hire in the country where that language is native instead, and pay its rates.

Below is the table behind those picks (labor cost from Eurostat, English from the EF English Proficiency Index, time zone overlap, and the number of sales roles that named each country on our board), the criteria in order of weight, and the countries we would pick for five common sales hires.

Key takeaways

• Language of the buyer comes first. A cheaper rep who cannot sell in your buyer's language is not cheaper.
• For English-language selling: Portugal (best US overlap), Poland (deepest market), Romania and Bulgaria (lowest cost), Croatia (best English in Central Europe).
• Hourly labor cost in 2025 ranged from €12.0 in Bulgaria to €47.9 in the Netherlands, against an EU average of €34.9 (Eurostat).
• Overlap with New York in a standard 9 to 5 day: three hours from Portugal, Ireland and the UK, two from Central Europe, one from Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.
• Demand is concentrated: 346 of 1,452 sales roles on our board named the UK and 162 named Germany. Competition for reps is highest there.

Comparing the best countries in Europe to hire remote sales talent

Sources and method: hourly labor cost (wages plus employer costs, whole economy excluding agriculture and public administration) from Eurostat's 2025 release of 31 March 2026; English scores from the EF English Proficiency Index 2025; overlap calculated for a 9:00 to 17:00 day on both sides outside the weeks when US and European daylight saving dates differ; board counts are sales and business development roles posted on the Euro Remote Talent sales board between 15 August and 15 October 2026 whose location named the country (1,452 roles in total; 138 more said "Europe" or "EMEA" without naming a country). The UK is left out of the table because Eurostat no longer publishes its labor cost; it named 346 roles on our board, more than any other country.

Which criteria matter most?

1. The buyer's language

Sales is the one function where the language is the job. If you sell to German mid-market companies, your rep needs native-level German, and the pool is in Germany and Austria, at German costs. If you sell in English to US or UK buyers, you can hire anywhere English is strong, and the rest of this table applies.

2. English, for English-language selling

The Netherlands, Croatia, Austria and Germany top the EF index, followed by Portugal and Denmark. Romania (11th), Poland (15th) and Bulgaria (18th) are strong; Spain (36th) and France (38th) are weaker on average. Two cautions: EF's index is built from people who took its online test, not a national sample, and averages say nothing about the candidate in front of you. Test spoken English in the first call.

3. Time zone overlap

For a rep selling to the US, overlap with the buyer matters more than overlap with your team. Portugal, Ireland and the UK share three hours of a standard day with New York; Central Europe two; Romania, Bulgaria and Greece one. If the rep must cover US afternoons, agree a later shift in writing before the offer. The US hours table has the conversions. For a rep selling to UK buyers, Portugal and Ireland share the whole working day with London.

4. Cost

Eurostat's hourly labor cost is an economy-wide average, not a sales salary, but it shows the relative cost level: Bulgaria and Romania at 34 to 39% of the EU average, Poland, Portugal, Croatia and Czechia at 53 to 57%, Spain at 76%, Germany and the Netherlands well above. For actual sales pay, RepVue's medians for SDRs run from about €34,000 base in Spain to €44,000 in Germany; the SDR cost guide has them with employer on-costs.

5. Market depth

Where many companies already hire salespeople, you find experienced reps, but you also compete with those companies for them. Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland have deep markets on our board; Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary have few named roles, which can mean a smaller pool or less competition. Expect to source directly in the smaller markets rather than wait for applicants.

Which country for which sales hire?

Before the offer, decide whether the rep is a contractor or an employee. Commission plans, exclusive accounts and fixed hours make most full-time reps look like employees under European rules. The contractor or employer of record guide explains the choice, and the country guides for Portugal, Poland and Romania give the employer contributions in each.

If you want us to run the search, Hiring Done For You delivers three vetted candidates in 21 days for a flat $6,500, searching every country in this table rather than one. If you would rather run it yourself, post the role for $299 and it is live for 60 days; the guide to hiring a remote SDR in Europe covers the process step by step.

FAQ

Where should you hire sales talent in Europe?

For selling in English to US buyers, Portugal: three hours of overlap with New York, strong English and labor costs at 56% of the EU average. For selling into a specific European market, the country where the buyers' language is native.

Is Eastern Europe good for hiring sales talent?

For English-language selling, yes. Poland, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia all rank in the top 20 of the EF English index, at hourly labor costs of €12.0 to €19.8 against an EU average of €34.9. Overlap with the US East Coast is one to two hours in a standard day, so agree the shift.

Where is it cheapest to hire in Europe?

Bulgaria (€12.0 an hour in 2025) and Romania (€13.6) have the lowest labor costs in the EU, per Eurostat; Serbia, outside the EU, was €12.8. Cost is only one criterion for sales; language and hours decide whether the rep can sell.

How much overlap does Europe have with US hours?

With both sides working 9:00 to 17:00, three hours from Portugal, Ireland and the UK, two from Central European countries and one from Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. A rep who covers US accounts needs a later working window; agree it before the offer.

The short version

Hire where your buyer's language is native. If you sell in English, rank countries on English, overlap and cost: Portugal for US hours, Poland for depth, Romania and Bulgaria for cost, Croatia for English in Central Europe. Test English in the first call, agree the shift in writing, and decide contractor or employee before the offer. To get three vetted sales candidates from across Europe in 21 days for a flat $6,500, book a call.