Payroll & Employer
Employer of Record Singapore
Hire compliantly across SEA without setting up a local entity
We take on the legal employment of people you have chosen, in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia. The contract, the payroll, the statutory contributions and the local labour compliance become ours. The work they do and who they report to stay yours. Priced per active employee through nine locally-incorporated entities, and available only for people hired in the country where they already have the right to work.
24+ years
of Singapore HR group experience
Since 2010
Singapore EOR practice - UEN 201009036N
9 entities
across 5 SEA markets
5 currencies
SGD · MYR · THB · VND · IDR
How it works
1
Scope
We establish the role, the country of hire, where the work will physically be done, and which statutory regime that combination triggers. Every employer obligation is mapped before a contract goes out.
2
Onboard
The employment contract is issued by our entity, statutory registrations are completed, and onboarding paperwork is handled. From your side nothing about managing the person changes.
3
Run
Salary paid monthly in local currency, statutory contributions calculated and remitted at the rates each regulator sets, leave administered, and the annual filings made on time, IR8A in Singapore and its counterpart in each other market.
4
Adjust
Scale headcount, transition employees to your own entity when you incorporate, or wind down - your call. Documented handover at every stage.
Employer of Record Singapore - backed by 24+ years of group heritage
Employer of Record is a serious legal undertaking - your hire becomes our employee on paper, with every statutory, payroll, and compliance obligation that follows. People Profilers has operated as a Singapore-headquartered HR group for 24+ years, and our EOR practice runs through People Profilers (Services) Pte. Ltd. - incorporated in 2010 with the specific mandate to provide manpower contracting and payroll services. We operate nine legal entities across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. That depth means accurate CPF, SDL, SHG, and WIC contributions on the Singapore side; correct country-equivalent statutory handling in MY, TH, VN, and ID; and multi-currency payroll administered by people who understand each market, not a generic platform applying templates.
How our EOR pricing works
Two components, and nothing else. A service fee set as a percentage of the employee's total monthly salary cost, subject to a minimum per employee, and the statutory employer contributions passed through at whatever rate the regulator in that country sets. No retainer, no charge for a seat nobody occupies, and the whole fee written into the engagement letter before onboarding.
Service fee - % of total salary cost
- ✓Percentage of total monthly salary cost (incl. reimbursements)
- ✓Subject to a minimum monthly fee per employee
- ✓Both % and minimum vary by country (SG, MY, TH, VN, ID)
- ✓Exact rates confirmed in engagement letter before onboarding
Pass-through statutory contributions
- ✓CPF employer portion (Singapore)
- ✓SDL, SHG, WIC at statutory rates (Singapore)
- ✓Country-equivalent contributions in MY / TH / VN / ID
- ✓Calculated at official rates - no markup, no margin
One-time + situational
- ✓One-time onboarding setup per employee
- ✓Employment contract drafting + statutory registrations
- ✓Annual leave encashment + final settlement at separation
- ✓Optional add-ons: expense management, leave portal access
Fees are in writing before onboarding. There is no retainer and no minimum headcount, you pay only for employees actually active, and billing is in the local currency of each country.
When Employer of Record makes sense
Three situations account for almost all the demand, and they share a shape: you want a person working in a country before you want a company there.
Testing a new SEA market
Put a salesperson in Bangkok or a developer in Ho Chi Minh City without first spending months on incorporation, a corporate bank account and tax registration. If the market does not work out, you have not built a company you now have to unwind.
Bridging entity setup
The decision to incorporate is made, but the entity and its registrations will take months to come online, and the candidate you want will not wait that long. We employ them in the meantime and transfer them to your entity when it is ready.
Project & transitional hires
Integration teams after an acquisition, fixed-term project resources, people held on while a market is being exited. Cases where incorporating locally would never pay for itself.
One limit worth stating plainly: this covers local hires only, meaning citizens, permanent residents and others already entitled to work in that country. We do not use it to move someone into a country they have no right to work in.
Engagement model
Hire compliantly across SEA without setting up a local entity
Per-active-employee pricing through 9 locally-incorporated entities · We become the legal employer; you direct the work · For local hires in their country of residence only
Industries & Functions We Cover
The sectors below are the ones we recruit into, which matters more than it sounds: an employer of record is the one signing the contract, and knowing what a normal package looks like for that role in that country is what keeps an offer competitive without being reckless. 24+ years of hiring across these industries is where that comes from.
Aerospace & Aviation
Licensed aircraft engineers, avionics and component specialists, MRO planners and supply chain roles across Seletar Aerospace Park and Changi.
Automotive
Regional sales and aftersales leadership, parts and distribution specialists, and EV and mobility roles for distributors running Asia from here.
Banking & Financial Services
Relationship managers, compliance and AML officers, risk and quantitative analysts and operations specialists across MAS-regulated banks, asset managers and family offices.
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Regulatory affairs, QA and validation, bioprocess specialists and market access roles across the Tuas Biomedical Park cluster.
Chemical
Process, plant and reliability engineers, HSE officers and technical sales across the Jurong Island petrochemical complex.
Construction & Civil Engineering
Project and site managers, structural and M&E engineers, quantity surveyors and safety officers on BCA-regulated projects.
FMCG & Retail
Regional brand and category managers, trade marketing, e-commerce and retail operations for companies running Asia from Singapore.
Healthcare
Clinical operations, nursing leadership, regulatory and medical affairs across the public clusters, private groups and device companies.
IT & Telecommunication
Software engineers, cloud and DevOps, product managers, cyber security and data specialists across one-north, Changi Business Park and the CBD.
Logistics & Transportation
Freight forwarding, customs and trade compliance, warehouse and supply chain planning roles around PSA, Changi Airfreight and Tuas Port.
Marine & Offshore Engineering
Naval architects, marine and subsea engineers, project managers and yard operations roles across the Tuas and Benoi yards.
Media & Publishing
Regional account management, content and performance marketing, design and communications roles for agencies and platforms based here.
Oil & Gas
Trading and commercial analysts, process and project engineers, HSE and terminal operations roles across the energy majors and traders.
Real Estate & Property
Investment and asset managers, leasing and property managers, facilities leads and development roles for REITs and developers.
Semiconductor
Process, equipment, test and yield engineers, packaging specialists and fab operations roles across Woodlands, Tampines and Pasir Ris.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the legal employer when I engage People Profilers EOR?
Our locally-incorporated entity in the country of hire is the legal employer. It issues the contract, runs the payroll, makes the statutory registrations and carries the employer obligations under that country's labour law.
You direct the work. What the person does, who they report to, how their performance is judged: all yours. The distinction is between employing someone and managing them, and only the first moves to us.
Who is eligible to be hired through your EOR service?
People who already have the right to work in the country where they will be working. Citizens, permanent residents, and anyone else holding that entitlement independently of us.
What this service is not is a route into a country for someone who has no standing there. We do not use an employer of record arrangement to substitute for a work pass, and any provider suggesting otherwise is creating a problem for you rather than solving one.
Where a genuine relocation is what you need, that is a work pass question. For Singapore, our work pass service handles it properly.
Which countries can you act as Employer of Record in?
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, each through our own entity in that country rather than a partner arrangement. That matters when something goes wrong, because there is no third party between you and the entity that signed the contract.
Indonesia carries one restriction worth knowing about in advance: we do not provide employer of record or outsourcing for the supporting functions the regulations there reserve, which include cleaning, catering, security, driving and transport, operational support, and support services to mining, oil, gas and electricity.
How is the EOR service fee calculated?
A percentage of the employee's total monthly salary cost, with a minimum monthly fee per employee so that very junior roles remain viable to administer.
Separately and transparently, the statutory employer contributions are passed through at the official rate. We do not mark those up, and the calculation is visible on the invoice.
There is no retainer, no onboarding fee and no minimum headcount. The percentage is agreed in the engagement letter and holds for the engagement.
How are statutory employer contributions handled?
They are calculated at the rate the regulator in that country sets and remitted on the statutory deadline. CPF, SDL, the self-help group levies and work injury compensation in Singapore, and the corresponding obligations in each other market.
These are billed to you at cost. Where a rate changes, the new rate applies from the effective date and you see the difference on the invoice rather than absorbing an unexplained increase.
What if I want to transition my EOR employee to my own entity later?
That is the normal ending and the arrangement is built for it. Once your entity is incorporated and registered, the employee transfers across on agreed terms, keeping continuity of service, accrued leave and their existing package.
There is no transfer fee. Charging to release an employee you always intended to take on would make the bridge more expensive than the river, which defeats the point of using one.
Explore our other services
Need something different? Browse our other broad service categories.
Build strong teams with confidence. Our recruitment solutions connect you with the right talent, at the right time, using a consultative approach that prioritises long term fit and performance.
Simplify workforce management while staying compliant. Our employer and payroll solutions reduce administrative burden and allow you to focus on growing your business.
