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SALARY PAYMENT IN Singapore Dollar ($)
CONTRACT LANGUAGE English
PAYROLL TAX 17.00% – 17.25%
PAYROLL CYCLE Monthly
TIME TO HIRE 12 hours
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Hire and pay talents
with Horizons in
180+ countries
Singapore
Horizons helps your business navigate Singapore’s labor laws and regulations. Horizons’ Singapore PEO solutions manage and process all employee payments and deductions, as well as absorbing all local employment liabilities. Partnering with our Singapore PEO & Employer of Record means a quick, cost-effective, and compliant way to enter the Singapore market.
| PEO Platform Hire in Singapore, and pay employees through our platform or app. | PEO Cost Our Singapore PEO solution is the most affordable on the market. | Time-to-hire Fast onboarding in Singapore, hire in as little as 12 hours. |
| Contracts We draft labor contracts compliant with Singaporean labor law. | Local Benefits We administer all mandatory benefits and contributions in Singapore. | 180+ Countries It doesn’t stop with Singapore — we are an international PEO |
In Singapore, employers are advised to prepare a strong, written contract that clearly states relevant employment terms. This should include the job description, employee responsibilities, and the compensation and benefits attached to the role.
In relation to letters of offer and employment contracts, both types of document should always outline compensation amounts in Singapore dollars (SGD). Horizons can assist you to draft employment contracts, either through our Singapore Employer of Record & PEO or your own local entity.
| Probationary period | 3 months, unless otherwise stated in writing |
| Termination notice period | During probation: 2 weeks After probation: 30 days |
| Severance | From 4th year of service: 1 month’s salary per year of service |
| Important note | All expat shall be employed on a fixed-term contract When an expat employee is terminated, the company must buy them a 1-way plane ticket to their home country |
| Probationary period | 3 months, unless otherwise stated in writing |
| Termination notice period | During probation: 2 weeks After probation: 30 days |
| Severance | From 4th year of service: 1 month’s salary per year of service |
Under Singapore law, working hours must not exceed 44 hours per week. For employees who work five or less days per week, daily hours should not exceed more than nine hours. For employees who work more than five days per week, daily hours should not exceed more than eight hours.
Employees in Singapore may be entitled to overtime at a rate that is 1.5 times their hourly wage. This will be dependent on whether the employee is classified as either a ‘workman’ or ‘non-workman’. Additionally, this will only apply if an employee’s salary is under an applicable cap.
Quick, compliant hiring in 12 hours—no subsidiary required.
Singapore has a range of national public holidays that are celebrated annually. In 2023 these holidays are:
25 Dec MondayChristmas Day
| Date | Holiday name |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan Sunday | New Year’s Day |
| 2 Jan Monday | New Year’s Day observed |
| 22 Jan Sunday | Lunar New Year’s Day |
| 23 Jan Monday | Second Day of Lunar New Year |
| 24 Jan Tuesday | Day off for Lunar New Year’s Day |
| 7 Apr Friday | Good Friday |
| 22 Apr Saturday | Hari Raya Puasa (Tentative Date) |
| 1 May Monday | Labour Day |
| 2 Jun Friday | Vesak Day |
| 29 Jun Thursday | Hari Raya Haji (Tentative Date) |
| 9 Aug Wednesday | National Day |
| 12 Nov Sunday | Diwali/Deepavali |
| 13 Nov Monday | Day off for Diwali/Deepavali |
In Singapore, standard insurance is provided through the national system (Medishield Life). Employers can elect to provide their employees with supplementary insurance. This would be classified as a supplementary benefit.
In Singapore, employees are normally entitled to sick leave if they have worked for an organization for more than three months. Additionally, employees must inform their employer within 48 hours of their scheduled absence. All sick leave must be certified by either the organization’s doctor, an organization-approved doctor, or a government-doctor.
The amount of paid sick leave is dependent on how many years the employee has been with the employer.
Between 3 and 6 months the employee is entitled to pro-rated sick leave, from 5-11 outpatient sick leave days, to 15-45 hospitalization sick leave days.
For employees that have been employed more than six months, they are eligible for 14 days of outpatient, non-hospitalization leave. Additionally, these employees are entitled to 60 days of hospitalization leave, including 14 days outpatient leave.
Female employees who are Singapore citizens and have been with their employer more than three months are generally entitled to 16 weeks paid maternity leave. To be eligible for maternity leave, the child must also be a Singapore citizen.
For a female employee’s first two pregnancies, employers must pay for the first eight weeks of maternity leave. The Singapore government will pay for the remaining eight weeks. In Singapore, the government pays all maternity leave for additional pregnancies.
Employees who are not Singapore citizens are normally entitled to 12 week’s paid maternity leave, unless their employment contract states otherwise. For employees that have been with an organization less than three months, they are not entitled to paid maternity leave.
Female employees may share up to four weeks of maternity leave with their husbands – provided they are legally married and the husband is the child’s father.
In Singapore, fathers are normally entitled to two week’s paid maternity leave that is funded by the government. To be eligible for paternity leave, fathers be currently or previously married to the child’s mother between the period of conception and birth. Fathers must also be Singapore citizens and have been employed for a continuous period of more than three months prior to the child’s birth. Paternity leave in Singapore is capped at a rate of SGD 2,500 per week.
Foreign workers are required to have the necessary visas and work permits in Singapore, as stipulated by immigration laws. As part of our services, Horizons can sponsor your employees to obtain the required permits. The most common work permit is the Employment Pass, which is applicable for suitably qualified foreign workers earning at least SGD 3,300 per month.
Horizons’ appointed employment agent (EA) or local Singapore entity applies for the Employment Pass via EP Online. The approval process takes seven working days, after which the Singapore Ministry of Labour issues an In-Principle Approval (IPA). Horizons then provides the employee with their Employment Pass.
To be considered for an Employment Pass, Horizons must receive one or more of the following:
Horizons will submit your employees’ Employment Pass applications to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). This process generally takes between five and eight weeks, from application to collection of the pass.
Applications can be submitted either manually or online. Around 80% of our applications are conducted online and generally take at least three weeks to process. For online submissions, Horizons will confirm the details of the new hire and ensure that all required supporting documentation is lodged. Our legal department processes each case in 1-2 weeks.
Manual applications are preferred by applicants whose supporting documents (eg. testimonials from previous employers, writing samples, etc.) highlight other merits. Manual applications take at least five weeks, from the receipt date of the application.
Prior to validating any application for a foreign candidate, we suggest you provide us with copies of the employee’s CV and any education or professional certifications. We also need to know the employee’s proposed designation with your company.
Before any application can be finalized, we require the following:
Any document not in English must be accompanied by its official English translation.
| Minimum Wage Country Comparison Chart | (Per month in USD) |
| Australia(Geneva) | $2321 |
| France | $1831 |
| Singapore | $860 |
| Malaysia | $244 |
| Nepal | $129 |
When it comes to Singapore benefit management, employers need to understand which benefits are mandatory under the law, and which are provided by employers as a supplement.
All employees in Singapore receive basic health insurance, via the national system. However, employers have the discretion to provide additional health benefits. In Singapore, it is common for employers to offer supplementary health and life insurance to employees. An alternative option taken by many employers, is to provide a small allowance that can be allocated towards supplemental insurance.
Any additional benefits such as additional sick, maternity or vacation leave, or a housing allowance, should be considered when drafting employee contracts.
Employers have the option of managing their employees’ benefits themselves, or outsourcing their benefits administration to a Singapore PEO. Note, however:
With Horizons, you get quick service, transparent pricing, and expert support.
A Singapore PEO and a Singapore EOR are two types of companies which specialize in providing human resources services to businesses in Singapore.
The main difference between a Singapore PEO and a Singapore EOR is in the scope of their services.
Singapore PEOs provide a full range of HR services, including payroll, benefits administration, and employee recruiting—all under one roof as a co-employer. Engaging a Singapore PEO is essentially outsourcing your HR duties in Singapore.
Singapore EORs actually take over as the legal employer of your employees based abroad. Singapore EORs become responsible for labor compliance for your employees in Singapore.
At Horizons, we offer both PEO and EOR services in Singapore. Get in touch now and let us know what service you are seeking.
A PEO in Singapore can feasibly hire both local and foreign nationals to work in Singapore.
However, the ability of Horizons to sponsor your foreign national employee in Singapore may be limited due to visa quotas practiced in many countries.
Contact us with your requirements and our Global Mobility team with review the case and get back to you within 2 business days.
In most cases, Horizons’ Singapore PEO can hire & onboard your employee within 24 hours. The actual start date of the employee will depend on their notice period obligation to their previous employer as well as any relevant hiring rules in Singapore.
It is possible to get a work visa in Singapore. Horizons’ Global Mobility team is a dedicated team of work visa experts. They assess the details of each case to determine feasibility and costs before Horizons applies for the work visa on behalf of your employee. If the Global Mobility team determines that your case is feasible, the process is smooth and transparent. Visa spots in Singapore are limited, however—get started today to secure your employees’ visa spot.
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