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🇸🇬Complete Singapore hiring guide

Hiring in Singapore through an EOR (2026)

Here's what you need to know before you hire in Singapore: what it really costs an employer, the employment laws that shape the contract, and how an Employer of Record lets you hire compliantly without opening a local entity. Every figure below is sourced and dated.

17%Employer cost on top
7 daysPaid annual leave
Days, not monthsTime to hire via EOR
Robbin Schuchmann
Written by:
Robbin Schuchmann
Co-Founder at EOR Overview
Last updated: July 12, 2026

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The most common mistake foreign employers make in Singapore is assuming the Central Provident Fund (CPF) applies to everyone on payroll. It does not. CPF contributions only apply to Singapore citizens and permanent residents, so if you are hiring expatriates, your employer cost picture looks quite different from what the headline 17% employer contribution suggests. Getting that distinction wrong early leads to either over-budgeting or, worse, under-withholding for local staff. An Employer of Record (EOR) handles that split automatically, which is one of the clearest practical reasons to use one here.

Beyond CPF, Singapore is a genuinely employer-friendly market. The unemployment rate sits at around 2.8%, so competition for skilled workers is real, and the labour force numbers just under 3.7 million. Annual leave starts at 7 days by statute, the payroll cycle is monthly, and there is no statutory severance obligation. The 17% corporate tax rate and the overall regulatory environment make Singapore one of the more straightforward places in Asia-Pacific to hire compliantly, provided you get the CPF eligibility question right from day one.

Singapore at a glance

The statutory facts that drive a hire in Singapore. Each row shows where the figure comes from and how current it is, so you can trust the number and check it yourself.

Pay & working time

Statutory work week44 hours/weekCurrentStatutory working time (national labour law) · 2024
Payroll cyclemonthlyCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026
13th-month salarycustomaryCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026

Employer cost & tax

Employer social securityof gross salary17%DatedISSA Country Profiles · 2024
Employee social securitywithheld from pay20%DatedISSA Country Profiles · 2024
Corporate tax rate17%CurrentPwC Worldwide Tax Summaries · 2026

Termination

Notice period3 weeksCurrentWorld Bank Employing Workers / B-READY · 2019
Severance pay0 weeksCurrentWorld Bank Employing Workers / B-READY · 2019

Leave & time off

Paid annual leave7 daysCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026
Public holidays11 daysCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026
Maternity leave16 weeksCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026
Paternity leave4 weeksCurrentPerplexity (AI gap-fill) · 2026

Labour market

Unemployment rate2.8%AgingWorld Bank Open Data · 2025
GDP per capita$98,814AgingWorld Bank Open Data · 2025
Union density22.2%DatedILOSTAT · 2019
Collective bargaining coverage18.1%DatedILOSTAT · 2012

What it costs to hire in Singapore

Salary is only part of the bill. On top of gross pay you owe employer social security and statutory contributions. Here's what an example salary of $99,000 a year actually costs you as the employer.

Gross annual salary$99,000
Employer contributions≈ 17% of gross+ $16,830
Total employment cost$115,830
Your EOR handles the filings

Illustrative, based on the employer social-security rate above. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of this total and runs the income-tax withholding and statutory filings, which are withheld from the employee's pay, not paid by you.

The main addition on top of gross salary in Singapore is the CPF employer contribution, set at 17% for eligible employees (citizens and permanent residents). Expatriate hires carry no CPF obligation on the employer side, which means your total employment cost depends heavily on the residency mix of your team. There are no other broad-based statutory employer social charges layered on top of that, making the cost structure relatively straightforward once you know which employees the contribution applies to.

Income tax in Singapore

Income taxPaid by employee · progressive
$0 – $20,0000%
$20,000 – $30,0002%
$30,000 – $40,0003.5%
$40,000 – $80,0007%
$80,000 – $120,00011.5%
$120,000 – $160,00015%
$160,000 – $200,00018%
$200,000 – $240,00019%
$240,000 – $280,00019.5%
$280,000 – $320,00020%
$320,000 – $500,00022%
$500,000 – $1,000,00023%
$1,000,000 +24%
Employer contributions
Social security17%
Employee contributions
Social security20%

Employment-law essentials

The rules an EOR enforces in your contracts, and the ones most likely to trip you up if you tried to hire in Singapore on your own.

Working time
Statutory work week44 hours/week
Pay & 13th salary
Payroll cyclemonthly
13th-month salarycustomary
Leave
Paid annual leave7 days
Public holidays11 days
Maternity leave16 weeks
Paternity leave4 weeks
Termination
Notice period3 weeks
Severance pay0 weeks

Statutory minimums shown. Collective agreements or contracts can be more generous; an EOR applies whichever is correct for the role.

Things to watch in Singapore

A few specifics in Singapore's employment rules are easy to overlook and worth keeping front of mind before you hire.

  • CPF applies by residency status, not just salary level. The employer contribution is 17% of gross wages, but only for citizens and permanent residents. Expatriates on employment passes are excluded entirely, so your actual employer cost varies significantly depending on who you are hiring.
  • The 13th-month salary is customary. It is not legislated, but it is widely expected across the market. Candidates will factor it into their compensation expectations, and skipping it can hurt your ability to attract and retain staff.
  • Annual leave starts low. The statutory minimum is 7 days, which is on the lower end by regional standards. Most competitive offers go above that, so budget accordingly if you want to hire experienced professionals.
  • Notice periods are short by default. The statutory notice period is 3 weeks, which means employees can exit quickly. Build that into your workforce planning, especially for roles where knowledge transfer takes time.

EOR vs. opening your own entity in Singapore

Use an EOR when…
You're hiring one to a handful of people in Singapore.
You want someone working in weeks, not months.
You'd rather not own local payroll, tax and compliance.
You're testing the market before committing.
Open your own entity when…
You're scaling to a large local team long-term.
Per-employee EOR fees outweigh the cost of an entity.
You need full control of local employment and IP.

Choosing an EOR for Singapore

Providers with strong Singapore coverage onboard faster and carry less risk. A shortlist to start from:

Compare all EOR providers in Singapore

See our ranked best EOR providers in Singapore

Local players in Singapore

EOR and global-employment providers headquartered in Singapore:

Common questions about hiring in Singapore

Common questions about hiring in Singapore through an EOR.

Do I need a legal entity to hire someone in Singapore? +
No. An Employer of Record (EOR) already has a legal entity in Singapore and employs the person on your behalf, so you can hire compliantly without opening your own entity. You manage the day-to-day work; the EOR handles the local contract, payroll, taxes and statutory benefits.
How much does it cost to employ someone in Singapore? +
On top of gross salary, employers in Singapore contribute roughly 17% in social security and statutory costs. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of that total employment cost.
How hard is it to terminate an employee in Singapore? +
Ending employment in Singapore generally requires a notice period of around 3 weeks and severance of about 0 weeks, subject to the reason for termination and the employee's tenure. An EOR runs the offboarding in line with local law to limit your risk.
How much paid leave do employees get in Singapore? +
Employees in Singapore are entitled to 7 days of paid annual leave, in addition to public holidays. Statutory leave is one of the entitlements your EOR administers automatically.
About the author
Robbin Schuchmann
Robbin Schuchmann
Co-Founder at EOR Overview
Robbin is the co-founder of EOR Overview, an independent research site for Employer of Record services. He has been in the international hiring space for over a decade.
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