Hire anyone in Asia. Without the entity.
Independent rankings of Employer of Record providers in 16 Asian markets — scored on who actually employs your hire, under which local law, and how well they run payroll.
Employer contribution figures are indicative statutory rates on salary; each guide has the detail, caps and quirks.
You choose the person
You recruit, set the salary and manage the work. The provider never gets between you and your hire.
They employ, under local law
Their entity signs the contract, runs payroll and files the contributions — as licensed dispatch in China and Korea, as plain employment in Singapore and Hong Kong.
You graduate when ready
Most companies incorporate after ten to fifteen hires in a country. The better providers set up the entity and transfer the team across.
Ten providers, five criteria, no sponsored placements
Own-entity coverage across Asia, handling of the dispatch and outsourcing rules, payroll and statutory accuracy, transparency and support. Where a lower-ranked provider beats a higher one on a criterion, we say so on the page.
See the full comparison →
Best EOR providers by country
Each guide ranks the providers that actually employ in that market, against that market’s own rules, with RemotePeople, the regional specialists and the global platforms scored side by side.
What does a hire really cost in each city?
Pick a city and enter a gross annual salary in US dollars. Employer contributions, customary bonus and an indicative EOR fee come from the same tables as our guides.
Scored, not sponsored
Five published criteria, applied the same way to every provider. No paid placements. Entity claims are recorded as claims until we can verify them with the local registry.
Practitioners, not marketers
Written by people who have run payroll and set up entities across Asia. Figures are dated and sourced to the CPF Board, MPFA, MOHRSS, EPFO and their counterparts. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Tell us the country and the headcount
We will point you to the two or three providers worth talking to — and never pass your details to any of them.
More guides
| Guide | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
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 35 per cent depending on the country, plus any mandatory bonus, plus provision for statutory severance where it accrues, plus the EOR fee. Try the calculator above or see the country table.
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 more people than the EOR fee justifies. The better providers will set the entity up and transfer the staff when the time comes.