Hire in Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is a high-tech and wealthy city-state in Southeast Asia. The country covers 728.3 km2 and comprises the diamond-shaped Singapore Island with some 60 small islets. Singapore is a financial powerhouse with thriving industrial and financial sector, accompanied by superb education, health, transportation, and communications services. The country’s economy is highly dependent on investment capital from foreign multinational corporations.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Singapore.

Onboard your talent in Singapore

in 10 minutes

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Accelerated onboarding

Fast-track your talent onboarding while ensuring 100% compliance with local regulations.

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Net salary calculator

Calculate net salary post deductions and compare it with the salary in other countries instantly.

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Guidance & payroll management

Receive process support by an experienced team of experts & pay your talent on time and in their local currency

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Hire in Singapore through an

EOR

Easily onboard your remote talent in Singapore through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.

A quick overview of Singapore

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Cost of living index

$$$$ (10 of 139 nations)

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Currency

Singapore Dollar (S$, SGD)

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Payroll frequency

Monthly

Basic facts

The Republic of Singapore is a high-tech and wealthy city-state in Southeast Asia. The country covers 728.3 km2 and comprises the diamond-shaped Singapore Island with some 60 small islets. Singapore is a financial powerhouse with thriving industrial and financial sector, accompanied by superb education, health, transportation, and communications services. The country’s economy is highly dependent on investment capital from foreign multinational corporations.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Singapore.

Capital

Singapore

Official language/s

English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

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Population

5.91 million (2023 est.)

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VAT - standard rate

7%

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025:

January 1 New Year’s Day
January 29-30 Chinese New YearMovable
March 31 Hari Raya Puasa
April 18Good FridayMovable
May 1Labor Day
May 12Vesak DayMovable
June 7 Hari Raya HajiMovable
August 9National Day
October 20 DeepavaliMovable
December 25 Christmas Day

The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Singapore is 6 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

 

  • Polling day is also a public holiday.
  • Employers must issue itemized pay slips to employees covered by the Employment Act.
  • Employers must keep detailed employment records, including salary records, of employees covered by the Employment Act.
  • Employer contributions to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) are applicable even if employees are working on a part-time/ ad-hoc/ contract basis or during their probation.
  • The employment of foreign workers in Singapore attracts an additional monthly cost to the payroll in the form of a Foreign Worker Levy (FWL). 

Singapore’s social security system has three aspects: retirement, healthcare, and social welfare taken care of through the Central Provident Fund (CPF). CPF is a mandatory savings scheme funded by both employers and employees. It covers everything from housing, retirement, healthcare, etc. Employer contribution rates vary based on employee age and residency status. In addition to CPF contributions, employers are also mandated to pay contributions towards skills development in the country.

An overview of employer contributions towards mandatory benefits is given in the table below:

Benefits

Employer Contribution

Employee Contribution

Central Provident Fund (CPF)*

17 % (can be reduced to 3.5% based on age and residence status)

20%

Skills Development Levy (SDL)

0.25%

Work Injury Compensation Insurance

0.20%

*Employers and employees contribute 17% and 20%, respectively, of ordinary monthly wages, up to an income ceiling of SGD 6,800. 

Working Hours

Contractual working hours (excluding break time and overtime) cannot exceed 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week.

 

Overtime

An employee must not be permitted to work overtime for more than 12 hours a day (excluding break times) and 72 hours a month.

Employers must pay at least 1.5 times the hourly basic rate of pay for overtime within 14 days after the last day of the pay period. The overtime rate payable is capped at an hourly rate of S$13.60.

 

Probation Period

There is no mandatory probation period in Singapore, but common practice is three to six months.

Termination Notice Period

Termination notice periods under contracts of service depend on employees’ employment length:

Length of Service Notice Period
Less than 26 weeks 1 day
26 weeks to less than 2 years 1 week
2 to less than 5 years 2 weeks
5 years or more 4 weeks
Working Hours

Contractual working hours (excluding break time and overtime) cannot exceed 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week.

 

Overtime

An employee must not be permitted to work overtime for more than 12 hours a day (excluding break times) and 72 hours a month.

Employers must pay at least 1.5 times the hourly basic rate of pay for overtime within 14 days after the last day of the pay period. The overtime rate payable is capped at an hourly rate of S$13.60.

 

Probation Period

There is no mandatory probation period in Singapore, but common practice is three to six months.

Termination Notice Period

Termination notice periods under contracts of service depend on employees’ employment length:

Length of Service Notice Period
Less than 26 weeks 1 day
26 weeks to less than 2 years 1 week
2 to less than 5 years 2 weeks
5 years or more 4 weeks

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Singapore’s social security system has three aspects: retirement, healthcare, and social welfare taken care of through the Central Provident Fund (CPF). CPF is a mandatory savings scheme funded by both employers and employees. It covers everything from housing, retirement, healthcare, etc. Employer contribution rates vary based on employee age and residency status. In addition to CPF contributions, employers are also mandated to pay contributions towards skills development in the country.

An overview of employer contributions towards mandatory benefits is given in the table below:

Benefits

Employer Contribution

Employee Contribution

Central Provident Fund (CPF)*

17 % (can be reduced to 3.5% based on age and residence status)

20%

Skills Development Levy (SDL)

0.25%

Work Injury Compensation Insurance

0.20%

*Employers and employees contribute 17% and 20%, respectively, of ordinary monthly wages, up to an income ceiling of SGD 6,800.