Hiring in Thailand? Ownership shapes what you can register.

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy and a manufacturing and tourism powerhouse, 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 regional manufacturing hub. A province-by-province wage map underneath.

Thailand is a global leader in automotive production, electronics assembly, and tourism, with the Eastern Economic Corridor pulling in next-generation investment, but there is no single national minimum wage to budget against: daily rates are set province by province, and the statutory severance scale climbs all the way to 400 days’ wages for long-served staff.

01

Manufacturing and tourism, not one national wage

Home to the region’s largest automotive cluster and a top-tier electronics and hard-disk-drive export base, but Thailand sets its minimum wage by province, not nationally: rates run from THB 337 to THB 400 a day across seven bands, so the number that applies depends on where the person is employed.

02

One social fund, a severance scale that keeps climbing

A single Labour Protection Act, one main Social Security Fund covering most statutory benefits, and a termination regime that is only lawful for specific statutory grounds, with severance rising in steps from 30 days’ wages at 120 days’ service to 400 days’ wages at 20 years, mean your employment structure has to be chosen with the long game in mind, not just the first hire.

03

Independent expert advice

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

Four ways to hire in Thailand. 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 Thai staff, handling the contract, payroll, Social Security Fund withholdings, and Labour Protection Act compliance, while you direct the work. Operational in days, no entity needed. Best for testing the market or hiring a small team before you have settled which provinces you will be in.

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Global Payroll

For when you already have a Thai entity, or want to consolidate payroll across several countries. You stay the legal employer; a specialist partner runs the monthly Social Security Fund contributions, Revenue Department withholding, and provincial minimum-wage compliance correctly.

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Entity Formation (Thai Limited Company)

Your own Thai company, almost always a Thai Limited Company, formed through the Department of Business Development with at least two shareholders and Foreign Business Act restrictions to navigate. Full control and a local presence, but you carry the ownership structure, capital, and ongoing filings. Right when the headcount and permanence justify it.

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PEO Services

A co-employment model alongside your own Thai entity. True PEO co-employment is far less established in Thailand 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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Thailand at a glance

Currency

Thai baht (THB). Salaries are set and paid in THB; if your budget lives in EUR or USD, exchange movement quietly changes your real cost.

Minimum wage (2026)

No single national rate: THB 337 to THB 400 per day depending on province, under Wage Committee Notification No. 14. Bangkok, Phuket, and a handful of industrial and tourism provinces sit at the THB 400 ceiling; the southern border provinces sit at the THB 337 floor.

Employer costs

Employers pay 5% of monthly wages to the Social Security Fund, capped at a THB 17,500 wage ceiling (raised from THB 15,000 from January 2026), plus a separate Workmen’s Compensation Fund contribution of 0.2% to 1.0% rated by your specific industry and funded by the employer alone.

Leave & Notice

Thailand is not at-will: dismissal without one of six specific statutory grounds triggers severance that climbs from 30 days’ wages at 120 days’ service to 400 days’ wages at 20 years or more. Notice runs to the next pay date, commonly one month. Annual leave starts at a statutory minimum of 6 days after one year, with 13+ public holidays declared each year.

Hiring in Thailand: quick answers

The questions we are asked most about hiring in Thailand.

What is the fastest way to hire someone in Thailand?

An Employer of Record. Your hire can start in days, with a compliant Thai employment contract from day one and no entity to set up. It is the lowest-risk way to test the market or place a small team before you have committed to a province.

Do I need a Thai entity to hire?

No. With an EOR you can employ people in Thailand 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.

There is no single national minimum wage, so the correct rate depends on the province your hire works in; severance climbs on a six-step scale by length of service; and the Foreign Business Act shapes what a foreign-owned entity is permitted to do. None of it is a problem when a partner who already knows the rules is running it for you.

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 Thailand hire.

Tell us who you want to hire and where in Thailand you are headed. 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 (Social Security Office, Revenue Department, Department of Business Development, PwC). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.