Hiring in Singapore? CPF isn’t universal here.

Singapore is Asia-Pacific’s regional headquarters hub of choice, but getting your employment model wrong still carries real cost in time, money, and compliance. We help you choose the right way to hire, place you with the right partner, and stay alongside you for the life of the relationship.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • On your side at renewal

A great market to hire in. A citizens-only contribution system underneath.

Singapore is one of the world’s easiest places to set up and run a company: an English-speaking common-law jurisdiction with no capital gains tax, but its main payroll safety net, CPF, only applies to citizens and permanent residents. Most EOR and payroll clients are hiring foreign talent on an Employment Pass, so the CPF rates you will read about often are not the cost driver for your actual hire.

01

Asia-Pacific’s regional HQ hub, incorporated in a day

Multinationals base their APAC regional headquarters here for a reason: English-language common law, no capital gains tax, and a fully digital ACRA BizFile+ registry that can turn incorporation around in as little as one working day.

02

CPF: citizens and PRs, not everyone

A single Employment Act sets baseline terms for everyone, but its Part IV hours and overtime protections only cover workers earning up to $4,500 (workmen) or $2,600 (other employees) a month, CPF contributions apply only to citizens and permanent residents, and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) actively enforces compliance, so your cost and protection profile changes sharply depending on who you hire, not just where.

03

Independent expert advice

Not sure whether you need EOR, payroll, or your own Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd)? We map your headcount, timeline, and risk profile and give you a clear recommendation, not a product pitch.

Four ways to hire in Singapore. Pick once, pick right.

Most businesses arrive having already decided, and often decided too quickly. Here is the honest version of each route. When one fits, the detailed guide is one click away.

Employer of Record

An EOR partner becomes the legal employer of your Singapore staff, handling the employment contract, payroll, CPF contributions where the hire is a citizen or permanent resident, income tax reporting to IRAS, and Employment Act compliance, while you direct the work. Operational in days, no entity needed. Best for testing the market or hiring a small team.

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Global Payroll

For when you already have a Singapore entity, or want to consolidate payroll across several countries. You stay the legal employer; a specialist partner runs monthly CPF EZPay remittances for your citizen and PR staff, IRAS filings, and the Skills Development Levy correctly.

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Entity Formation (Pte Ltd)

Your own Singapore company, a Private Limited Company (Pte Ltd), incorporated digitally through ACRA’s BizFile+ portal, often within a single working day, with no notary required. Full control and a local presence, but you carry ongoing corporate filings and a registered local director. Right when the headcount and permanence justify it.

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PEO Services

A co-employment model alongside your own Singapore entity. True PEO co-employment is far less established in Singapore than in the US, so for most companies EOR or managed payroll is the better fit. We will tell you honestly which one your situation calls for.

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Singapore at a glance

Currency

Singapore Dollar (SGD). Salaries are set and paid in SGD; if your budget lives in USD, EUR, or another currency, exchange movement quietly changes your real cost.

Wage floor (2026)

Singapore has no general statutory minimum wage. Instead, sector-specific Progressive Wage Model ladders set mandatory pay scales for named occupations, and the Local Qualifying Salary, used to count a worker toward your foreign-worker quota, rises to $1,800/month or $10.50/hour from 1 July 2026.

Employer costs

For citizens and permanent residents, employers contribute up to 17% of Ordinary Wages to CPF, age-banded, up to an $8,000/month wage ceiling from 2026; for staff on an Employment Pass or S Pass, there is no CPF at all. Every employer, local or foreign hire alike, also pays a small Skills Development Levy.

Leave & Notice

Singapore is not at-will by default: statutory notice runs from one day to four weeks by length of service, and dismissal for misconduct requires a due-inquiry process. Annual leave starts at 7 days in year one, rising to 14 days by year eight, plus 11 public holidays.

Hiring in Singapore: quick answers

The questions we are asked most about hiring in Singapore.

What is the fastest way to hire someone in Singapore?

An Employer of Record. Your hire can start in days, with a compliant Singapore employment contract and Key Employment Terms in place from day one, and no entity to set up. It is the lowest-risk way to test the market or place a small team.

Do I need a Singapore entity to hire?

No. With an EOR you can employ people in Singapore without your own company. You only need to incorporate when you are committing to a permanent, larger presence, and we will tell you honestly when that point arrives.

Not one big obstacle, but several rules that only bite if you miss them: sector-specific Progressive Wage Model ladders for named occupations, a Local Qualifying Salary that affects your foreign-worker quota, CPF that applies to citizens and permanent residents but not to Employment Pass or S Pass holders, and an actively enforcing regulator in MOM. None of it is a problem when handled correctly, which is the point of getting the model right at the start.

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

Let’s map your Singapore hire.

Tell us who you want to hire and where you are headed in Singapore. One conversation maps your options, flags the risks, and usually gets you to a better answer, and better pricing, than going direct. No pitch.

Tax and labour data verified July 2026 (IRAS, CPF Board, MOM). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.