Globalization Partners provides outsourced global employment services for customers that want to hire employees and run payroll in Singapore. Our comprehensive solution and Global Employer of Record model enables customers to run...
Globalization Partners provides outsourced global employment services for customers that want to hire employees and run payroll in Singapore. Our comprehensive solution and Global Employer of Record model enables customers to run payroll in Singapore while HR services, tax, and compliance management matters are lifted from their shoulders onto ours. A candidate is hired via Globalization Partners in accordance with Singapore’s labor laws and put on our locally-compliant payroll. The individual is assigned to our customer as a designated manager, working on your behalf in Singapore exactly as if he or she were your employee to fulfill your in-country requirements. We ensure that best HR practice is followed—leaving the employee to focus on managing the activity you wish to implement in Singapore rather than to negotiate with local lawyers and accountants on your company’s behalf.
Globalization Partners provides outsourced global employment services for customers that want to hire employees and run payroll in Singapore. Our comprehensive solution and Global Employer of Record model enables customers to run payroll in Singapore while HR services, tax, and compliance management matters are lifted from their shoulders onto ours. A candidate is hired via Globalization Partners in accordance with Singapore’s labor laws and put on our locally-compliant payroll. The individual is assigned to our customer as a designated manager, working on your behalf in Singapore exactly as if he or she were your employee to fulfill your in-country requirements. We ensure that best HR practice is followed—leaving the employee to focus on managing the activity you wish to implement in Singapore rather than to negotiate with local lawyers and accountants on your company’s behalf.
Singapore is an island city-state located in Southeast Asia, just north of the equator. Its 278 square miles of land is home to 5.5 million people, making it the third most densely populated country in the world at 20,000 people per square mile. According to the World Bank, Singapore is the easiest country in the world in which to do business. Singapore’s GDP is USD 397 billion and growing at an annual rate of 7.6%; its unemployment rate is 3.6%. Singapore is a financial and commercial center, and its major exports include electrical equipment, machinery, chemicals, medical equipment, and plastics.
When negotiating terms of an employment contract and offer letter with an employee in Singapore, it may be useful to keep the following standard benefits in Singapore in mind:
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Employment Contracts in Singapore
Best practice is to put a strong, written employment contract in place in Singapore which spells out the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. An offer letter and employment contract in Singapore should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in Singapore dollars rather than a foreign currency.
This information is provided as generally accepted information and is not intended as advisory services.
Working Hours in Singapore
Working hours should not exceed 44 per week. Employees who work 5 or fewer days per week should not work more than 9 hours per day. Those who work 5 or more days per week should not work more than 8 hours per day.
Employees may be entitled to overtime at a rate of 1.5 times their usual wage depending on whether they are classified as a non-workman or a workman and if their salary is under the applicable cap.
Holidays in Singapore
10 public holidays are celebrated in Singapore.
New Year’s Day
Chinese New Year (2 days)
Good Friday
Hari Raya Puasa
Labour Day
Vesak Day
Hari Raya Haji
National Day
Deepavali
Christmas Day
Vacation Days in Singapore
The market norm for vacation is 14 days, although senior executives may command more (3-4 weeks). Statutory minimum is 7 days plus 1 day for each additional year worked with a company until the 8th year of service. From the 8th year of service onward, the legal minimum remains at 14 days.
Singapore Sick Leave
Employees are generally entitled to sick leave if:
they have worked for the employer for at least three months
they have informed their employer within 48 hours of their absence
their sick leave is certified by the company’s doctor, a company-approved doctor, or a government doctor
The number of days of paid sick leave is dependent on the length of service. Employees who have worked for at least six months are eligible for 14 days of outpatient, non-hospitalization leave and 60 days of hospitalization leave, which includes the 14 days of outpatient leave.
Employees with less than six months of service are entitled to paid leave on the following schedule:
Maternity/Paternity Leave in Singapore
A female employee is entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave if:
her child is a Singapore citizen
she has worked for her employer for at least three months
she has provided her employer with at least 1 week’s notice prior to going on maternity leave
For the first two pregnancies, the employer pays for the first 8 weeks of leave and the government pays for the second 8 weeks. The government pays for the entire leave for additional pregnancies.
As of July 1, 2017, wives may share up to 4 weeks of maternity leave with their husbands capped at SGD2,500 per week.
Employees with less than three months of service are not entitled to paid maternity leave.
A father is generally eligible for two weeks of paid paternity leave, funded by the government, if:
he is or was legally married to the child’s mother between conception and birth
his child is a citizen of Singapore
he has been employed for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth
Paternity pay is capped at SGD2,500 per week.
Mothers of adopted children are entitled to 12 weeks of paid adoption leave. Employers are eligible for government reimbursement after the first four weeks of adoption leave for the first two adopted children. For each subsequent adopted child, employers are eligible for reimbursement for the full 12 weeks.
Health Insurance in Singapore
Basic insurance is provided through the national system, however, supplementary health insurance may be provided to the employee as a supplementary benefit.
Singapore Supplementary Benefits
Most executives request supplementary health and life insurance, but a small company may provide an allowance in lieu of arranging insurance.
Stock options are often requested by executives working for US technology companies in Singapore.
Generally, we recommend budgeting 20% for benefits on top of the gross salary to allocate the total employer’s cost including benefits in Singapore, including the CPF allocation.
Retirement in Singapore
Singapore has a mandatory minimum retirement age of 63, at which time employers must offer employees re-employment up to the age of 68, as long as the employee:
has worked for at least two years before turning 63
is a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore
can satisfactorily perform the work
Companies employing workers aged 55 and older are eligible to receive the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) which will reimburse up to 8% of the employee’s wages.
Bonuses
A 13th month or annual bonus is not required but is market norm in Singapore. A commission plan may replace this for a sales employee. An annual bonus may be equal to 2-3 month’s salary when the economy is strong.
Termination/Severance in Singapore
A probation period of 3-6 months may generally be agreed to in the employment contract, during which there is a shorter notice period. This is not a statutory requirement.
One month’s termination notice on behalf of the employer or employee is the generally agreed term, but this is not fixed. If the notice period is not specified in the employment contract, the following applies:
Paying Taxes in Singapore
CPF (Central Provident Fund) is the main nationally mandated benefit or social security expense. The amount varies, but we recommend budgeting 17% of the employee’s salary (on top of the regular salary) as a benefit cost to be paid into the Central Providence Fund by the employer. CPF is similar to a retirement fund.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore government has clarified that CPF contributions are not required for reimbursements of COVID-19 related expenses like home office equipment. There are several support measures in place for employers unable to make their payments to the CPF as a result of the pandemic.
Why Globalization Partners
Hiring and managing benefits for employees in Singapore can be daunting. Globalization Partners can speed up your hiring and onboarding process and simplify your payroll into a monthly invoice. As a Global Employer of Record, we process expense reports, take care of personal income tax issues, and set up the employee’s statutory local benefits with the streamlined ease of a company that has done it hundreds of times before. Rather than trying to work through the red-tape from afar, you can rest assured that your payroll and benefits will be managed exactly as they would be for any local company, and your employees can focus on the role for which they were hired.
We would be happy to talk with you if you are interested in our employment leasing or Singapore PEO service, payroll services, or recruiting services in Singapore. Contact us.
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