Lifted, an Upwork company, acquires WorkMotion

WorkMotion has been acquired by Lifted, a wholly owned subsidiary of Upwork (Nasdaq: UPWK). Financial terms are not being disclosed.

WorkMotion is growing and strongly positioned in the European Employer of Record (EOR) market. This attracted the strategic acquisition interest of the US-listed group. The agreement is intended to accelerate WorkMotion’s existing growth strategy.

WorkMotion provides EOR services for companies that want to employ people abroad without setting up a legal entity there. Through its own local entities, the company takes on employment contracts, payroll, and local labor-law obligations, among other things. 

For Lifted, the acquisition expands their direct employment options (Employer of Record and Staff Augmentation) for their enterprise clients to more than 30 countries. This is in addition to Lifted’s Independent Contractor (IC) & Agent of Record (AOR) services that are offered in 180+ countries.

WorkMotion remains an independent German company headquartered in Berlin, with its own brand and its own platform. Felix Steffens continues to lead the company as CEO, and the rest of the leadership team also stays in place. For customers and internationally employed staff, existing contracts, prices, and contacts remain unchanged. Customer data will also continue to be stored in the EU, and the existing data protection framework remains in place.

Over the next two years, WorkMotion plans to set up additional owned entities worldwide. Each new entity means more countries where companies can employ talent directly through WorkMotion, without a third-party provider in between. For WorkMotion, as well as Lifted customers, that brings a consistent experience and transparent pricing wherever they hire. WorkMotion also intends to invest in the further development of its platform. The company remains focused on small and mid-sized businesses in Europe, with the goal of becoming the region’s number one EOR provider.