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Country entry playbook · APAC edition

Hire across APAC without the missteps.

Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia. Entity vs EOR, hiring norms, salary bands and the regulatory traps, in one place.

Profile

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Singapore

APAC HQ of choice. English-first, low employer burden, fast incorporation.

EOR or entity

Population

5.9M

GDP growth

+2.6%

Currency

SGD

Business lang

English

At a glance

Employer cost~17% (CPF, capped)
Notice period1 week to 1 month
Probation3 to 6 months
13th monthAWS customary, not statutory
Working week44 hours
Minimum wageNo statutory minimum
Social insuranceCPF for citizens / PRs only

Why hire here

  • Pte Ltd entity in 1 to 3 days online via ACRA
  • No employer CPF on foreign work-pass holders
  • Strong IP regime, common-law system, no FX controls
  • Hub for regional revenue and finance functions

Watch-outs

  • Work-pass quotas tightening (S Pass dependency ratio, COMPASS framework)
  • Min qualifying salary for EP raised to S$5,600 (S$6,200 in financial services)
  • Local director and registered address required for entity setup

Salary bands

Mid-level annual gross, in USD.

Indicative ranges for 3 to 6 years of experience. Total cash, excluding equity. Sourced from Robert Walters and Michael Page APAC 2025 surveys, levels.fyi and our own placements. Treat as directional, not absolute.

Role
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🇻🇳
🇮🇩
🇵🇭
🇲🇾
Senior Software Engineer
$80 to $115K
$32 to $48K
$22 to $36K
$28 to $42K
$28 to $45K
Engineering Manager
$120 to $165K
$55 to $80K
$40 to $60K
$45 to $65K
$50 to $75K
Product Manager
$95 to $135K
$38 to $58K
$28 to $45K
$32 to $48K
$35 to $55K
Data Scientist
$85 to $120K
$32 to $50K
$24 to $38K
$26 to $42K
$30 to $48K
Sales / Account Director
$110 to $160K
$50 to $75K
$35 to $55K
$40 to $60K
$45 to $70K
Finance Controller
$90 to $130K
$40 to $62K
$30 to $48K
$32 to $50K
$38 to $58K
HR Business Partner
$70 to $100K
$28 to $45K
$22 to $36K
$24 to $38K
$28 to $45K

Hiring norms

The rules that catch teams out.

Working week

Statutory cap is 40 to 48 hours. Singapore and Malaysia 44 to 45. Vietnam and PH at 48. Indonesia at 40.

13th month / bonus

Statutory in PH. THR is mandatory in Indonesia. AWS / Tet / festive bonuses are customary in SG, MY, VN.

Notice & probation

Probation typically 3 to 6 months. Notice 30 days is the regional norm, longer for senior roles.

Termination

PH and Indonesia tightly regulate just-cause vs economic separation. Severance is prescribed and audited.

Local language contracts

Vietnam and Indonesia require local-language employment contracts. Bilingual versions are standard.

Foreign work passes

Each country has a salary floor and quota system. Plan permits in parallel with hiring, not after.

Entity vs EOR

The honest call across APAC.

For most APAC markets the answer is, start on EOR, convert to entity once you cross 20 to 25 hires or need to invoice locally. Singapore and Malaysia are the exceptions where a direct entity can make sense from day 1.

Dimension
EOR
Own entity
Time to first hire
24 to 72 hours typical
2 to 4 months across most APAC markets
Upfront cost
No setup fee
$15 to $40K legal, registration, paid-up capital
Local director
Not required
Required in SG, ID, VN, MY (resident director or representative)
Paid-up capital
None
Up to IDR 10B in Indonesia (PT PMA) for foreign-owned entities
Compliance risk
Sits with the EOR
Sits with you and your local director
Sweet spot
1 to 20 hires per country
20+ hires, long horizon, local trading
Wind-down
Offboard and stop
6 to 12 months in ID and VN, faster in SG and MY
Score your fit in 6 questionsCost out a hire

Talk to our APAC team

We hire and pay across APAC every day.

Tell us where you are headed. We will map the fastest compliant path, including work passes, payroll cut-off, and conversion to entity if and when you outgrow EOR.

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