# Setting up in Singapore.

URL: https://skillsforce.com.sg/services/hr/setting-up-in-singapore
Title: Setting Up in Singapore: HR for Foreign Firms | Skillsforce
Description: HR for foreign companies setting up in Singapore: local policies, payroll, work passes and onboarding built from scratch, plus support for your first hires.
Updated 18 June 2026. First published 25 June 2026. Author: Skillsforce (People-operations team)

A new Singapore office is approved long before anyone local can run it. We build the HR foundation, and start the search for your first hires straight away so hiring does not wait for your entity to be ready.

## What HR do you need when setting up in Singapore?

A foreign company setting up in Singapore needs local employment contracts and policies, payroll with CPF and IRAS, work-pass support for foreign hires, and compliant onboarding, all aligned to MOM rules. While your entity is being registered, we can start the search for your first hires so recruitment is not held up waiting for incorporation to finish.

## The setup sequence

1. **Build the HR foundation:** Local employment contracts, policies and handbooks, salary benchmarking and benefits aligned to Singapore practice and MOM rules.
2. **Stand up payroll:** Payroll with CPF for local staff and IRAS reporting, set up to run on time from your first pay cycle.
3. **Search locally first:** Run the search in the local market first, advertise it properly, and shortlist on merit.
4. **Onboard your first hires:** Compliant onboarding and orientation for staff joining under your own entity. If your entity is not yet registered, we run the search and shortlist in parallel so hiring is not the thing that stalls.

## Hiring before your entity is ready

Incorporation and bank set-up take time, but a good candidate will not always wait. While your Singapore entity is being registered, we run the search and shortlist for your first hires so recruitment keeps moving, and your payroll, HR policies and employment admin are ready to go the day your entity exists.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I hire in Singapore before I have a registered company?

You can start the search before your entity exists: we run recruitment and build a shortlist while incorporation is under way, so your first hires can start as soon as your entity is registered. If you already have a Singapore entity but no headcount to employ staff under, our Manpower Outsourcing service can also employ them on our books while you direct their work.

### What does a foreign company need to run HR in Singapore?

Local employment contracts and policies, payroll with CPF and IRAS, work-pass support for foreign hires, and compliant onboarding, all aligned to MOM, CPF Board and IRAS rules. We build this foundation and can run it for you ongoing.

### Do you help with work passes for our overseas hires?

Yes. We handle Employment Pass and S Pass applications, renewals and cancellations, and run the local search and advertising MOM’s Fair Consideration Framework requires before an application is submitted, so the timeline is planned rather than discovered late.

## Sources

- [MOM: Fair Consideration Framework](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/fair-consideration-framework) (Local-first advertising duty, accessed 21 August 2026)
- [CPF Board: employer obligations](https://www.cpf.gov.sg/employer) (Accessed 18 June 2026)

## Related

- [Manpower Outsourcing](https://skillsforce.com.sg/services/contract-management)
- [Payroll Processing](https://skillsforce.com.sg/services/payroll)