Hire in Singapore

Typical time to hire

1-2 weeks for contractor, 2-4 weeks for full-time

Entity requirement

Singapore Pte Ltd. Registration at ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority). Very fast: 1-2 days for incorporation.

EOR available

Yes, from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity

Contractor of record

Yes, from $39/worker/month

Standard workweek

44 hours (Employment Act Part IV workers) or contractual

Maximum weekly hours

44 hours

Minimum annual leave

7 days (first year), increasing by 1 day per year to 14 days

Public holidays

11 per year

Maternity leave

16 weeks (government-paid maternity leave for eligible employees)

Paternity leave

2 weeks, government-funded

Notice period

1 day to 4 weeks depending on tenure (or contractual terms, whichever is longer)

Severance

No statutory severance requirement. Retrenchment benefit of 2 weeks to 1 month per year is common practice.

Probation

3-6 months typical (contractual)

Overtime rules

1.5x hourly rate for Part IV employees (salary up to SGD 2,600/month or manual workers up to SGD 4,500/month). Maximum 72 overtime hours/month.

Income tax range

0% to 22% (progressive, with top rate on income above SGD 320,000)

Corporate tax

17% (effective rate often lower due to partial exemptions for SMEs)

Social contributions

CPF (Central Provident Fund): up to 20% employee + 17% employer (age-dependent). Only for citizens and PRs.

VAT / GST

9% GST (increased from 8% in January 2024)

Tax year

Calendar year (Jan-Dec)

Treaty network

Over 90 tax treaties

Worker classification

Employment Act covers most employees. Independent contractor status assessed on control, integration, and economic dependency. Ministry of Manpower guides.

Data protection

Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA, amended 2020). Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) enforces. Mandatory data breach notification. Data portability obligations.

Right to work

Foreign workers need Employment Pass (professionals, min SGD 5,000/month), S Pass (skilled workers), or Work Permit. Fair Consideration Framework requires advertising on MyCareersFuture before hiring EP holders.

Non-compete

Enforceable if reasonable. Singapore courts apply the restraint of trade doctrine strictly: must protect a legitimate interest, be reasonable in scope and duration.

Collective bargaining

NTUC (National Trades Union Congress) is the dominant union. Singapore's tripartite model (government-employer-union) is collaborative rather than adversarial. Industrial Arbitration Court handles disputes.

FAST (Fast and Secure Transfers) enables instant interbank transfers 24/7. GIRO for recurring payroll. PayNow (linked to NRIC/mobile) for instant payments. Singapore's payment infrastructure is world-class.

• Singapore is the easiest place in Asia to set up a company (consistently ranks #1-2 on World Bank Ease of Doing Business)
• Employment Pass minimum salary has increased significantly (SGD 5,000 as of September 2023) to encourage local hiring
• COMPASS framework (Complementarity Assessment, September 2023) adds points-based evaluation for EP applications
• Singapore is the regional HQ for most MNCs operating in Southeast Asia