5 Roles You Don't Need to Hire For (Outsource These Instead)

You've got a growing business and a growing to-do list. Naturally, your initial instinct is to hire. But bringing on a full-time employee for every need can drain your budget faster than you'd expect, especially when some roles don't require a permanent seat at the table. Before you post that next job listing, here are five roles that are almost always smarter (and cheaper) to outsource.

The Real Cost of a Full-Time Hire

Before we get into the specific roles, let's talk numbers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $45.65 per hour in mid-2025. For a full-time employee, that works out to roughly $94,000 a year, and that's the average across all industries, not just high-paying ones.

That figure includes wages, health insurance, retirement contributions, paid leave, and legally required costs like Social Security. It doesn't account for recruiting expenses, onboarding time, or the productivity gap while a new hire ramps up.

Here's a quick breakdown of what you're really paying when you hire full-time:

Cost Category

Avg. Per Hour (2025)

% of Total Compensation

Wages & Salaries

$32.07

70.2%

Insurance (health, life, disability)

$3.44

7.5%

Paid Leave

$3.44

7.5%

Retirement & Savings

$1.54

3.4%

Legally Required (SS, workers' comp)

$3.31

7.3%

Supplemental Pay

$1.84

4.0%

For many small and mid-sized businesses, that math simply doesn't work for every open position. Here are five roles where outsourcing makes more financial sense.

1. Bookkeeping and Accounting

If you don’t have a finance background, managing your books can lead to missed deductions and compliance headaches. Hiring a full-time bookkeeper or accountant is often overkill, especially if your business doesn’t generate enough financial activity to keep someone busy 40 hours a week.

Outsourced bookkeeping services typically cost a fraction of a full-time salary. You get someone or a team who stays current on tax regulations, handles payroll, and keeps your records clean without the overhead of benefits, office space, or training. You can always bring it in-house later once the volume justifies a dedicated hire.

2. Warehouse and Fulfillment Staff

Building an in-house fulfillment team sounds straightforward until you start calculating the real costs. Warehouse roles often carry some of the highest turnover rates across industries, sometimes exceeding 100% annually. Every departure means recruiting, onboarding, training, and weeks of lost productivity.  Multiply that across a team of 10 to 20 people, and the HR burden alone becomes a full-time job.

This situation is where third-party logistics (3PL) providers handle the entire process for you. Instead of managing warehouse headcount, seasonal surges, workers' compensation claims, and shift scheduling, you hand the operation to a partner whose core business is exactly this. Companies like Productiv handle everything from kitting and assembly to direct-to-consumer fulfillment and B2B distribution with 99%+ SLA performance. Your team stays focused on roles that actually need to be in-house, while fulfillment scales up or down without a single job posting.

Indications that outsourcing a role is more beneficial than hiring for it:

• The work is seasonal or fluctuates significantly month to month
• Turnover in that role is consistently high across your industry
• You'd need to hire multiple specialists to cover what one agency provides
• The function can be clearly documented with a standard operating procedure
• You're paying a full-time salary for part-time output

3. Digital Marketing and Social Media

Marketing may sound like a single job, but it actually encompasses five or six roles rolled into one.  Between SEO, content creation, paid ads, social media management, email campaigns, and analytics, expecting one in-house hire to manage everything effectively is unrealistic.

Outsourcing to a freelancer or agency gives you access to specialists in each area. With more businesses hiring remote talent across borders, you are no longer limited to local candidates. Rather than employing a single individual who excels in all areas, you are investing in specific expertise that makes a significant impact. Plus, you can scale spending during peak months and reduce it when things slow down.

4. IT Support and Tech Management

Tech issues don’t wait for business hours, and they don’t care how small your team is. But a full-time IT hire can easily cost $70,000 to $100,000 a year in salary alone, not including tools, certifications, and ongoing training.

Managed service providers (MSPs) give you access to an entire team of specialists for a predictable monthly cost.  According to surveys, over three-quarters of businesses already outsource at least some IT functions, and that number continues to grow. They handle software updates, security monitoring, cloud management, and troubleshooting.

For most small businesses, a dedicated IT employee sits idle most days and scrambles when something breaks. An MSP gives you depth and redundancy without the salary commitment, letting leadership refocus on broader workplace management priorities instead. Resource allocation remains a key consideration for growth.

5. Customer Service and Admin Support

Virtual assistants and outsourced support teams have evolved significantly. Today, you can hire assistants who manage your inbox, schedule meetings, handle data entry, and respond to customer inquiries.

These professionals work entirely remotely and often operate across multiple time zones to ensure your business stays active around the clock. The U.S. Small Business Administration notes that virtual assistants are increasingly common for solopreneurs and small business owners, with hourly rates far more flexible than a full-time office administrator pulling $40,000 to $50,000 a year plus benefits.

Quick-reference: What to outsource vs. hire in-house

• Outsource: Repetitive process-driven work, specialized skills needed part-time, high-turnover roles, seasonal or fluctuating demand
• Hire: Core brand and strategy roles, work requiring deep institutional knowledge, leadership, and culture-building positions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money can outsourcing actually save?

It depends on the role, but businesses typically report average savings of 15-30% compared to keeping the same function in-house. For specific areas like IT or HR, the savings can be even steeper once you factor in benefits, overhead, and turnover costs.

Is outsourcing only practical for large companies?

Not at all. More than a third of small businesses already outsource at least one core function, and that number grows every year as remote tools make collaboration easier than ever.

How do I maintain quality with outsourced work?

Start with clear documentation. Please document your processes, expectations, and performance benchmarks before delegating any tasks. Choose providers with strong reviews and transparent reporting, then check in regularly during the first few months.

Will I lose control over outsourced functions?

You shouldn't. Good outsourcing partners operate as an extension of your team. Set clear communication channels, define roles upfront, and schedule regular check-ins to stay aligned on goals.

When should I bring an outsourced role back in-house?

You should consider this when the work consistently requires forty or more hours a week and the cost of outsourcing starts to exceed what you would pay a full-time employee, including salary and benefits. At that point, it usually makes sense to hire.

Key Takeaways

• A full-time employee costs roughly $94,000 per year on average once you include benefits and overhead rather than just salary.
• Bookkeeping, fulfillment, IT support, marketing, and customer service are five roles almost always more cost-effective to outsource.
• High-turnover roles like warehouse staffing are especially smart to outsource since third-party logistics partners absorb recruiting and retention costs entirely.
• Outsourcing gives you access to specialized expertise without long-term commitments or headcount management.
• The best approach for most growing businesses is a hybrid model where you keep your core team lean and outsource everything else.