Why Middle Eastern Talent?
Cairo works 2pm–10pm, which is 7am–3pm in Toronto — six to seven live hours with your team, every working day.
An educated, English-fluent, timezone-aligned workforce across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the wider Middle East. Same pool, same quality, one B2B contract, 60–70% less than a local Canadian hire.
TALENT QUALITY
The Region the World Already Hires From
Top-tier universities, English-language STEM programs, and a track record of shipping for global enterprises.
Schools we recruit from
Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt
American University in Cairo
Cairo, Egypt
American University of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
University of Jordan
Amman, Jordan
STEM-first
Cairo U, AUC, and AUB graduate engineers, analysts, and designers in English-language curricula. Technical education is the export.
English by default
Business English is the working language of Middle Eastern tech. Standups, CVs, documentation — all in English, with French common among Lebanese professionals.
PwC, Capgemini and Vodafone all run delivery centres in the region, so the pool has been shipping for global enterprises for years — none of them are Obelisk clients, and we are not claiming otherwise.
TIMEZONE OVERLAP
Afternoon in Cairo, Morning in Toronto.
Middle Eastern talent works a shifted schedule that puts them online through most of a Canadian business day — standups, reviews, and deep work all happen live.
Working-hour alignment: with Middle Eastern talent on a shifted 2pm–10pm Cairo schedule, they are online 7am to 3pm Eastern, which overlaps Toronto’s and Montreal’s 9am–5pm workday from 9am to 3pm — roughly six to seven hours of live overlap. Vancouver sees about three hours, from 9am to noon Pacific. London sees about five hours, from noon to 5pm.
- Toronto / Montreal6–7 hoursTalent online 7am–3pmEastern
- Vancouver~3 hoursTalent online 4am–12pmPacific
- London~5 hoursTalent online 12pm–8pmGMT/BST
Same Work. Same Quality. 60–70% Less.
Not cheaper talent — lower cost of living. Middle Eastern salaries reflect local purchasing power, not skill ceilings.
Canadian Senior
$110–190K
CAD, first year all-in
- Base salary $80–130K
- + ~20% benefits and payroll tax ($16–26K)
- + Recruiter fee $16–33K, one-time
- = $110–190K in year one
Obelisk Senior
$42–60K
CAD / year, all-in
- Flat monthly rate, CAD-invoiced
- HR, payroll, contracts included
- 10 days from brief to onboarded
- One B2B contract, zero hassle
You save
$68–130K
in year one, per role — 60–70% less than a comparable local hire.
$110–190K local, all-in
− $42–60K Obelisk, all-in
= $68–130K saved in year one
BROADER THAN EGYPT
One Region. One Talent Pool.
Obelisk recruits from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the wider Middle East — diversification against single-country risk, a larger matching pool, and bilingual English/Arabic coverage.
Egypt
Cairo anchors the region's tech delivery. Deep pool of English-fluent STEM graduates at every level.
Jordan
Amman's growing software sector. Strong English, US-aligned business education.
Lebanon
AUB-educated talent across design, finance, and engineering. Trilingual EN/FR/AR.
The wider region
When a role calls for it, we recruit beyond the core three — same vetting bar, same shifted schedule, same contract.
CULTURAL FIT
They Don't Just Work With Western Teams — They're Already Part of Them.
We recruit professionals trained in global companies, who present in English and follow the same Agile rhythms your team already runs on.
Remote-native by default
Much of the region's tech talent already works with distributed teams for global employers. Remote isn't a pandemic pivot — it's already the norm.
Western business fluency
Trained in global companies and English-language schools. Agile rituals, English presentations, Western delivery cadence — already the operating default.
Multilingual by design
English-fluent and Arabic-native, with French common among Lebanese professionals. One talent pool, multiple languages — useful if you serve Gulf, European, or francophone Canadian markets.
Ready to Hire From the Middle East?
Tell us the role — we’ll send a shortlist of 2–3 pre-vetted candidates within a week, all in CAD, one simple B2B contract.
Talk to a Co-FounderP.S. No commitment, no recruiter fees, no 90-day ramp.