Your guide to Employer of Record in Asia
Asia is where the world’s growth is, and where hiring is least uniform. Singapore and Hong Kong will let you employ someone on Monday; China, Japan and Korea will want to know which licence your provider holds first. An Employer of Record can put a compliant hire on payroll in any of them within days — if you pick one that actually operates in the country you need. This site exists to help you do that.
The good news first
EOR works across Asia, and it works well. Tens of thousands of companies employ in the region through a provider rather than an entity, and the leading providers hold their own entities in the markets that matter. The difference between a good outcome and a bad one is almost never the platform; it is whether the provider employs your hire directly, under the right local regime, with people who know that country’s rules. Our rankings weigh exactly that.
Why companies hire in Asia
- Talent depth at every price point. World-class engineering in Bangalore, Shenzhen and Taipei; finance and legal in Singapore and Hong Kong; operations, support and design across Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. No other region offers the range.
- Proximity to the customers. More than half the world’s population and a growing share of its purchasing power. A first hire in the region is usually about revenue, not cost.
- Two genuinely easy entry points. Singapore and Hong Kong are among the simplest places on earth to employ someone: light regulation, English-language administration, low or moderate contributions, and termination on notice.
- Predictable rules once you know them. The dispatch regimes in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam are detailed, but they are written down and the established providers operate within them. Knowing the rule is most of the work.
- A path to an entity. Most companies that start with one EOR hire in Asia end up incorporating somewhere in the region. The better providers set up the entity and transfer the staff when the time comes.
The guides
| Guide | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Best EOR providers in Asia | Ten providers ranked on own-entity coverage, dispatch-rule handling, payroll accuracy, transparency and support — with the questions to ask each one. |
| Best PEO providers in Asia | Outsourced HR and payroll for companies that already have Asian entities, and what “PEO” actually means in the region. |
| Is EOR legal in Asia? | The open markets, the dispatch regimes in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, the middle ground in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan, and what to ask a provider. |
| Employer costs across Asia | Statutory employer contributions in twelve markets, the caps and quirks, and a worked comparison of one hire in four cities. |
| Employee benefits in Asia | The statutory floor, the customary layer candidates expect, and the competitive extras — and how an EOR delivers each. |
| Employment law in Asia | Contracts, probation, working time, termination and severance across eleven markets, and the classification question. |
Four things that make Asia distinctive
None of these are obstacles — they are the things that work differently here. Know them and the region is manageable; a good provider handles all four for you.
- Several countries license the arrangementMainland China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam treat a third party employing your staff as labour dispatch or outsourcing, with licences, role restrictions and time limits. It is not a barrier — the established providers operate within it — but it is the first question to ask. Our guide explains each regime.
- Employer costs vary six-foldAbout five per cent of salary in Hong Kong, seventeen in Singapore, up to thirty in Shanghai. The same person costs very different amounts to employ depending on the city, and the EOR fee is rarely the biggest line. See the country table.
- Termination ranges from easy to nearly impossibleNotice without cause in Singapore and Hong Kong; enumerated grounds in China and Vietnam; a standard so strict in Japan and Korea that exits are negotiated rather than imposed. Decide how you will part company before you hire. Employment law in Asia sets it out.
- Bonuses are part of payA 13th month is mandatory in the Philippines and Indonesia and expected almost everywhere else; in Japan and Korea summer and winter bonuses can be a third of annual pay. Write them into the contract deliberately. Employee benefits in Asia covers the layers.
How we write these guides
Every ranking is scored against published criteria, and where a lower-ranked provider beats a higher-ranked one on a specific criterion we say so on the page rather than smoothing it over. Where something could not be verified from public sources — entity registrations in most Asian jurisdictions, for instance — we record it as a provider’s claim rather than restating it as fact.
Figures are dated and sourced to the national authorities wherever one exists: the CPF Board, the MPFA, MOHRSS, the Japan Pension Service and their counterparts. Nothing here is legal or tax advice, and Asian rules are unusually country-specific — confirm your own position before relying on any number.
Ready to hire in Asia?
Start with our provider comparison — ten EOR providers scored on own-entity coverage, dispatch-rule handling, payroll accuracy, transparency and support. Then ask the two or three that fit which entity would employ your hire, and under which regime, and you will make a well-informed choice.
Already have entities in the region? See the leading PEO providers.
Common questions
Is an EOR legal in Asia?
Yes, in every major market, though the legal form varies. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand treat it as ordinary employment; China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam regulate it as licensed dispatch or outsourcing with limits on roles and duration; India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan sit in between. Country by country.
Which country should we hire in first?
If the role can sit anywhere, Singapore or Hong Kong: simplest rules, fastest onboarding, English administration. If the role must be near customers or talent, hire where they are and choose a provider with its own entity there.
What does an Asian employee really cost?
Salary plus employer contributions of roughly 5 to 30 per cent depending on the country, plus any mandatory bonus, plus provision for statutory severance where it accrues, plus the EOR fee. The table gives indicative rates for twelve markets.
Should we use an EOR or set up an entity?
An EOR for the first one to fifteen hires in a country, or wherever speed matters more than permanence. An entity once you need to invoice locally, hold a licence, or employ a permanent core team in a dispatch-regulated market where statutory time limits apply. The better providers do both and transfer staff between them.